An exposure of the arts and miseries of gambling;

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£!\ NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Allot, Leuoi and Tilda Fouadnhni

PRESENTED 1

SARAM R. EL

I 1910

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AJSTI':

E&PWURE

OF

THE ARTS AND MISERIES

or

GAMBLING;

DESIGNED ESPECIALLY AS

A WARNING TO THE YOUTHFUL AND INEXPERIENCED

AGAINST THE EVILS OF THAT ODIOUS

AND DESTRUCTIVE VICE.

BY J. H. GREENS

REVISED BT A LITERARY FRIEND.

• * * ■* » mm »

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rx&fB, edition, iM* f Ry vi?p« \

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PHILADELPHIA:

PUBLISHED BY G. B. ZIEBER & CO.

J,KD&ER BUILDING.

1847.

l\ ■: ,

r

^i.;-.

THE NEW YCrt-x

PUBLIC LIBRARY

TA.OFN F^ - -. ' ~NS
P It r

Entered tccording to Act of Congress, in tin year 1&1S,

BY JONATHAN H. GREEN,

In the Clerk's Office for the District Court of Ohio.

CONTENTS.

Preface by the Reviser, ....••* 7

The Evil Consequences of Gambling, • 11

An Affecting Account of a Young Man brought to Ruin and

an untimely Death by Gambling, • • 80

Fox-Hunt, 88

Horse-Training, 98

Social Card-Playing, 83

Jockey Clubs, 83

First Lessons in Horse-Racing, 94

The Theatre, 81

Ladies betting on a Horse-Race, . • 85

A Card Party, 86

The Transition from Virtue to Vice imperceptible, ••••••... 87

First Step in Vice taken, ? SB

Mr. C persuaded to visit the South, 38

Game of Faro, 38

Price of a Faro Apparatus, . . I 38

A patent Gambler described, 41

The Depravity of Vice of rapid Growth, 48

The Gambler 8 Maelstroom, 48

Astounding Developments, GO

Bitter Reflections,. - 51

Young Mr. C 's Letter to his Parents, 55

The Suicide, 58

The Game of Poker, 58

An Incident, 65

Cheating in various Ways.

Four-handed Poker, 73

Three-handed Poker, 74

Two-handed Poker, 74 '

By Signs, „...,,,.,.. ,.^. ,.,,..,........ 77

Mercantile Gamblecs^. ...j*.,...^ .*..-. >^.j f j 79

Dpring X cLDl68, • •>'. tjm *'.»»..>.o..«.3..4,,*.j».j>[y /....«••» oU

x uiieys, ••••••••». ••jj.j.^j »,» - . • ...... ...... . ........ ol

An Incident showing the* rvinftn* Effects df the Game of

Poker, i..,^. -./.,.,, 83

Miscellaneous Examples of the shocking Effects of Gam-

Diing, •••.••«««. >.*w ■*•*- • i j ■* * ) *f •**»' ,a ()*. •...»**••• Of

Horrible Death of a GartbleVa^TJolufclAw, M'psissippi, 90 -^

Murder and Suicide in New Orleans, 94 ""^

The demoralizing Influences of Race-Fields, 103

A Row and Death. 105

The Game of Faro, 110

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro, 117

Anecdote of a Button, 147

Affray with the Gamblers in Vicksburg, t 150 '

1»

6 CONTENTS.

Horrid Assassination of a Gambler at Arkansas, 158

Roulette and Rolling Faro, 159

Chucker-Luck, 163

Vingt-Un, or Twenty-One, 165

The Game of Brag, 169

Eucre, 173

The Game of Boston, 175

The Game of All Foars, 17«

Deceptions used in the Game of All Fours, 181

Whist, 189

Deceptions in the Game of Whist, 190

Stealing out Cards, and Palming, 195

Playing by Signs, 196

Marking Cards, 196

Playing three against one, 197

Hoyle's Maxims, • 200

Cribbage, 200

Backgammon, • 203

The G*me of Craps, 204

Billiards, 206

Cock-Fighting ? 207

Various deceptive Tricks, •• 210

Solitary, 220

The Broker, 222

Tricks in Horse-Racing, 223

True Picture of the Gambler's Destiny,. 225

Dialogue between a Judge and a Gambler, 229

■ ■ between a Congressman and a Gambler, 234

■ ■ ■ between a Gambler and a Travelling Agent, 23d

Ingenuity of Gamblers, 246

Thermometer of the different Stages of a Gambling Life, . . . 251

Card Manufactories, . . 262

Lotteries, 273

Drawing of the Lottery, 278

Combinations taken from the Scheme-Book of a Lottery

Dealer, 284

Card Backs, ..».». ..«.. • . .•. .«.«.. • <***..•» % * ...*•.. 294

Facsimile of tf tottery; Xibket i.-^ .* I^C 295

A Discoursed flit Evils of GiEmflJg.. .BjT fev. £. H. Chapin 296

\soncfusion, ...... .«. . ^ . . •«* ^« • «« •*• •»*«. ...••»... ....•••••« oio

...•;4*P.E-N-DtX.

Notice by Rev. B-.tfartz/.D.' ^9*' i £ • • S 318

Letter from PresVJeicBWcQrt^*::^..; 319

Letter from the Horf. Judge 'EfegTesWA; 320

Notice by George D. Prentice, . .- 321

Notice by Nathan Guilford, 322

Letter from Robert Morrison, 328

Law of Ohio for the Suppression of Gambling, 324

Law of Pennsylvania for the Suppression of Gambling,. . 327
Mecoauaeadations......... .»»•»••• 331

PREFACE

BY THE REVISER.

Vert few of those who have employed their
pens in opposition to the vice which forms the
subject of the following pages, have had the ad-
vantage of speaking from personal observation and
experience. They have, nevertheless, done much
good, for which they are justly entitled to the ap-
probation and gratitude of their fellow-men. To
many, however, it has long appeared very desirable
that some of those who, for years, have been inti-
mately identified with this desolating evil, would
resolutely come forward, and " speak what they do
know, and testify what they have seen," in rela-
tion to it. In the work here submitted to the pat-
ronage of the community, this want is humbly
attempted to be supplied.

As may well be supposed, the author felt some
delicacy in thus placing himself before the world ;
but, sustained by the consciousness that his
highest aim was to do good, he was wiUm% t&

8 PREFACE.

make the experiment, hoping that any mortifioa*
tion of feeling, or even personal danger, which it
might subject him to, would be more thaa coun-
terbalanced by the countenance and sympathies
of the friends of morality and good order, gener-
ally. After having separated himself (and he
trusts in God, forever) from that class of persons
called gamblers, the ordinary maxims of prudence
would probably have dictated to him to allude as
seldom a&d as sparingly as possible to his former
course of life. But believing, as he did, th#t. by
bringing to light, as he had it in his po^er to da^
the arts and machinations of gamblers, and th*
miseries of that kind of life, he might render a
great and lasting service to others, he did not feel
as if motives of delicacy in regard to himself,
should deter him from making the attempt. „He
has felt the more encouraged to embark in. this
undertaking, from the wonderful success that has
attended a similar course in connection with the
temperance reformation. Reflecting on the well-
known fact, that the simple narratives of reformed
inebriates have, in genetal, a far more powerful
and extensive influence, than the most polished
and eloquent discourses of others, it occurred to
him, that the adoption of a like course, in refer-
ence to the formidable vice of gambling, might be

j&x-'

PREFACE. 9

productive of equally gratifying consequences.
And should this effort be received w$th favor, it is
his intention, at no very distant day, to travel and
lecture on this subject. And observing, moreover,
the kindness and consideration which have every
where been generously extended to those novel
laborers in the temperance field, he was led to
believe, that, if those who have been reclaimed
from the destructive vice of gaming, would, in
like manner, throw themselves upon the indul-
gence of the friends of virtue and humanity, they
might reasonably expect that they would not be
excluded from a share in their kindly regards }
nay, that the voice of every such person would be
lifted up to bid them God speed. If, however, he
should be disappointed in this expectation, he
hopes to enjoy 'What will most amply recompense
him for - the loss — the opprobrium of his Maker,
and of his own conscience.

I will only add, that the task of the reviser has
been a comparatively light one ; the work having
been fully written out before it was placed in his
hands for examination ; and thinking, as he did,
that it would be much better to let the writer tell
his own story in his own way, he has done but
little more than correct such grammatical errors,
and verbal inaccuracies, as occasionally occurred

10 PREFACE.

in the course of the manuscript. If the reader
should take up this volume with the expectation
of being fascinated by a display of fine writing,
his anticipations will not be realised; he will,
nevertheless, it is believed, meet with an intelligi-
ble presentation of such revolting and astounding
fads, in reference to one of the most abominable
evils that ever cursed the civilised world, as will
serve to inspire him with an inflexible determina-
tion, not only to abstain from it himself, but to
put forth his energies in every allowable way, ty
check its progress, and, if possible, to put an en4
to its very existence, in every part of our beloved
and Heaven-favored country* To every parent,
especially, who is solicitous to preserve his saaq
from the contaminating influence of the vice* of
the day, the author looks, with much confidence^
for the most prompt and cordial encouragement.

GAMBLING.

The sin of gambling, against which my present efforts
are; directed, is as great and widely spread as any, which,
at this time, exists among us. Scarcely any class of oar
people are totally exempt from the effects of this deplora-
ble evil. The children gamble, young men and women
gamble, the middle-aged father and mother, who are rear-
ing families, gamble, and, to complete the picture of
degradation, we may often behold the hoary-headed sire
as ardent a votary of this vice as any on the black cata-
logue of evil doers. And though we live in an age of
moral reform, yet how little is being done either by legis-
lative enactments, voluntary associations, or otherwise, to
cheek this mighty evil, which is at once the parent of
innumerable other vices of the most disgraceful character I
The press, which is, or ought to be, the guardian of our
public morals, very rarely alludes to this most abominable
practice : the ministers of religion have become so accus-
tomed to regarding it as a thing generally practised or
tolerated, that they seem to have lost much of that just
abhorrence with which it should always be viewed, and
but seldom speak of it in their sermons ; and the conse-
quence is, that it is left to do its work of destruction
almost without an effort to reform the old, or restrain the
young. Indeed, in many parts of our country, the people
are almost as much addicted to this vice aa «o\x& <& to*

12 ARTS AND MISERIES

The Evil Consequences of Gambling.

ancient Germans, as described by the Roman historian ; *
and yet our moralists allow it to exist and spread in com-
parative quiet, instead of standing up and deprecating,
and battling against its pernicious effects with all their
ability, as it is their bounden duty to da

Gambling is a sin of the deepest dye — one that strikes
at the root of every good and virtuous feeling known to
our nature. When a young man has imbibed a passion
for it, all sense of honor and probity soon becomes erad-
icated, and every noble quality which elevates man above
the brute creation, is prostrated, and generally forever.
His whole soul becomes absorbed in the darling vice ;
and the love of parents, of country, and of his fellow-
men, and all the pleasure which he may have formerly
taken in literary and scientific pursuits, are completely
lost sight of, and soon become annihilated. There is no
redeeming quality which the gambler can set up against
the crime he is committing. He is fully aware that it is
impossible to make his infamous vocation a certain
source of gain, unless he will continually practise the
vilest artifices and deception, which render the heart
callous to every feeling of morality and religion. Let us
reflect for a moment on the condition of the man who is
constantly making use of such dishonorable means, not
only for the purpose of ruining such as chance may
throw in his way, but even the bosom friends of his
youth ; some of whom are almost sure to fall into the

snares of the professed gambler. All the finer sensibiU

/ .... , . . , ,_

* Some among the ancient semi-barbarous nations, after losing
all their property by gambling, including their horses and armor,
frequently staked their liberty, and became the slaves of the win-
ners, remaining in servitude for life, unless their masters emanci-
f*t*d them.

OF GAMBLING. 13

The Evil Consequences of Gambling.

ities of our nature become prostituted, or are totally
destroyed, in the bosom of the hardened gambler. Has
he a wife and family? they are shamefully neglected;
and often intemperance and debauchery so weaken or
destroy the love of home, that it is almost, if not entirely,
deserted. The least run of ill luck so sours his temper,
as to render his domestic circle a scene of misery. Is
he betrothed by the hallowed vow of fidelity to the
woman of his choice? how soon every charm, every
tender tie, every enchanting feeling of the heart is dissi-
pated or deadened in the soul of the sordid and polluted
gambler ! The man who becomes firmly attached to
this vice is seldom reclaimed. To acquire a fortune or
a competency by industry, or by any of the honest pur-
suits of life, is a thing that he never dreams of; or, if he
gives them a serious reflection, they appear to him so
'oathsorae, vapid, and irksome, that it seems to him
utterly impossible ever to get the consent of his mind to
engage in them. And should an upright or piously dis-
posed acquaintance hint to him the propriety of a ref-
ormation, he is apt to put him off by pleading the neces-
sity of his having money by some means, and his inability
to follow any other pursuit, from the want of those
necessary qualifications, which he has heretofore neg-
lected; and with this, or some other excuse, equally
discreditable to his head and heart, does he continue his
evil course.

A few years roll away, divided between penury and
ill-gotten wealth, though the former is almost certain to
become his ultimata fate. His health grows feeble ; he
is more and more incapacitated to follow his associates
through their various routines of midnight revelry, and
they desert him. His long habits of life render him

2

14 ARTS AND MISERIES

The Evil Consequences of Gambling.

unfit to return to any honest mode of procuring a liveli-
hood, and by degrees he sinks lower and lower towards
destruction, until the grave opens to receive him, or
suicide, or the offended laws of his country close his
mortal career. This is no exaggerated picture, no flight
of fancy ; it is sad reality, and such as may be frequently
witnessed in various parts of our country, admonishing
every parent and guardian, in a voice that should never
be disregarded, to counteract, by every means in their
power, the first and slightest tendency which* they may
discover in their sons or wards to the vice of gambling ;
to lay before them the dreadful consequences of this
heinous offence against God and man, with the utmost of
their zeal ; urging them by every motive of religion,
morality, honor, and self-preservation, to stay their course.
Other vices may be, and often are, abandoned by their
votaries, upon cool reflection, and a conviction of their
ruinous consequences ; but it is seldom, indeed, that the
professed gambler is restrained in his infamous career,
either by the still small voice of conscience, or the ad-
monitions of those who take an interest in his welfare.

There are many causes in our country, which tend to
perpetuate a passion for gaming, and the one that I shall
principally notice, bears directly on the rising generation ;
for if we can succeed in restraining the young, the aged
votaries will soon have run their race, and, passing away
from the stage of action, will leave us free from this evil.
I would not induce a belief, however, that aged offenders
are regarded as not worth our e&orts to save them — they
are all equally precious. But while there is little to hope
for in their cases, we may do much, and that almost
without a visible effort, to prevent the young from falling
into this vice. Let the vast number of parents, who now

OF GAMBLING. 15

The Eril Consequences of Gambling.

have their parlors supplied with various implements of
gambling, such as cards, chess-men and boards, back-
gammon and draught or checker-boards, (these being all
very fashionable,) banish them immediately from their
families; and instead of schooling their children and
permitting them to perfect themselves in these games,
teach them that they lead to evil in various ways, and
have not one good tendency to recommend them to
favor. It is a waste of precious time ; it begets a pas-
sion for an evil practice, with which are associated all
those abominable vices, profanity, falsehood, cheating,
drunkenness, debauchery, quarrels, and murder. These
are all naturally connected with gaming. Some may
think there is no harm in play as carried on in the
family circle. But I would ask, what security have we
that a man, naturally frail, would not, if furnished with
false keys, and who carried them with him — what
security have we that he would not rob, should a strong
temptation and a good opportunity present themselves t
I answer, we have none. Neither have we any that &
young man who becomes initiated into the science ofj
gaming, under the tuition and approbation of his parents,
would not engage in a game for a wager, if he was
strongly impelled by a probability of winning a hand-
some sum of money. Instead of furnishing a house with
stich implements of evil, why not supply their place with
some useful scientific apparatus, that the same time and
labor that are spent over the chess-board and card-table,
may be spent in acquiring useful knowledge, that may
be of service throughout life, and will soon become far
more interesting than the shuffling and dealing of cards f
If parents would but reflect a little on how much many
of them are doing to rear their chMteu \o ^tisAtaft* <taMfc.

16 ARTS AND MISERIES

Tfce Evil Consequences of Gambling.

we likely to result in great injury to them when they
shall have grown up, I am of the opinion that they would
no longer give their countenance to those dangerous
amusements which they now encourage, but would strive
to the utmost of their power to put them down. They
seem to have forgotten the important truth, that " train
up a child in the way in which he should go, and when
he is old he will not depart from it." The youth who
becomes instructed in games at home, and imbibes a
liking for them, will seldom rest contented with out-
playing his associates in the family circle, but will seek
opportunities to bring his skill in contact with others
whom he may suppose to be more expert than himself.
And having applied himself with diligence to get a
deeper knowledge of the game, he will give to his ac-
quaintances, or receive from them, friendly challenges to
a trial of their skill ; and the industry displayed in pre*
paring for such contests, often indicates minds capable
of being of great benefit to the world, if directed in a
proper channel. The simple games of dominoes and
checkers are usually the first games learned among
youth ; then the games of all-fours and eucre, which are
so fascinating that they are apt to take great pleasure in
acquiring a knowledge of them. As soon as they have
mastered these, the great and scientific game of whist
must be introduced. This is well calculated to employ
the principal portion, not only of their leisure time, but
also their thoughts when engaged in other occupations.
It is a game that requires great caution, study, and prac-
tice, to be understood well. And there is nothing the
young votary will pride himself on so much, as under-
standing the various points of this game. And when he
becomes so deeply interested in it as to allow it to take

. OF GAMBLING. 17

Tbe EtU Oo m o qq e a cM of GambUsff.

his attention from hu regular business or useful studies,
we may then justly regard him as fairly on the road to
rain. We next hear of him as a scientific whist player,
and learn that he is playing often in trials of skill with
other gentlemen whist players, when considerable wa-
gers depend upon the issue. Thus far he may have gone, *
and still have done nothing that society would condemn
in him ; for it is very common to wager quite largely on
the issue of a game of whist among the fashionables, and
openly too, and yet not be considered as having forfeited
any portion of that good esteem in which the person may
be held by that society. But as one evil step naturally
leads to another, the man who has progressed thus far
does not stop there : the attractive games of boston,
brag, and poker next engage his attention, and he applies
himself with still greater diligence, if possible, to master
them. He is now continually in the company of genteel
sportsmen, or/ more correctly speaking, gamblers. And
the moment a man whose standing in society is respect-
able, attaches himself to a company of gamblers, or
becomes their habitual associate, though they may be,,
the most respectable of the whole gambling fraternity, he
is in fact identified with men who are far below the
lowest of his honorable associates out of this class ; and
if, by reason of the very gradual steps in his downward
course, he does not feel the sacrifice he is then making,
yet if he should ever reform his life, he will find, when
he wishes to withdraw from that class, and reinstate
himself, that those who viewed him as honorable, and
were proud of his company, before he fell, will then look
down upon him with scorn and contempt, as the wicked
and polluted gambler, whose very presence may impart

evil.

2*

18 ARTS AND MISERIES

The EvH CooMqwneet of GmmbUsff.

When a man has once fully embraced the profession
of a gambler, he seldom stops until he has reached the
height of excellence in his art ; and his whole attention
is taken up in maturing plans of deception, by which he
will possess great chances of making his profession a
continued source of gain. And at almost all times when
he is not engaged over the card-table, he may be found
in some secluded corner, practising and perfecting him-
self in cheats, which he intends using the first time he
is engaged in actual play. And yet, if •this man should
be accused of any such deceptious arts, he would be as
ready to assault the accuser, or challenge him to mortal
combat, as a man who really possessed honor to be
injured. It matters not how well a man may be versed
in the common games at cards ; he will be continually
reaching further, and wiH often visit the faro-bank, where
he may bet freely. This is, perhaps, the most destruc-
tive stride in his infamous career. And after often visit-
ing and betting on faro, he must needs acquaint himself
with it, and for that purpose he must have a set of tools,
which will cost him from two hundred to a thousand
dollars; and constant practice at this game will soon
familiarize him with all its details ; and he next opens a
faro-bank himself. His former career of polite robbery
did not ruin his fellow-men and fill his pocket sufficiently
fast; he must now commence the business in a broad,
wholesale way. This is at once the most ruinous and
destructive game played in this country; and the man
who commences dealing faro with a good knowledge of
the game, has it completely in his power to ruin any man
that will continue to bet against it This is considered
the very acme of the profession, and gamblers generally
dissipate and carouse in proportion to the money they

OF GAMBLING. 19

The Evil Con«e*u#nce» of GamMing.— Dmaepttoo*.

win) and money they will have ; it is their idol, their
God — all they seem to care for in this life ; paying no
regard to the future, they look only at the present A
gambler, after reaching his highest state of excellence,
is generally apt to retrograde rapidly. From faro he will
visit the race-course and cock-nghtmgs, where he will
get with men who are reckless and vicious as men can
be, and still be at large in the community. His habits*
up to this time, have qualified him to associate and bet
with these men, and, step by step, he becomes one of
them. His games will now be roulette, rolling-faro,
chucker-luck, and twenty-one, with poker. These are the
lowest order of games, and are played principally by the
class last spoken of. Thus he falls from one degree of
degradation to another, until he gets to the despicable
game of thimbles ; then, if ill luck or want of oppor-
tunity to play where he can make any money, should
interfere with his expectations, he hesitates not to pick
the first pocket he can get his hand in, or break open
the first trunk that falls in his way ; failing of which, he
only wants the first opportunity, and he will hardly
scruple to enter, feloniously, some store or dwelling-
house to satisfy his love of money and of booty. In
short, I know of no crime, even of the blackest hue, that
the gambler will not stoop to commit, when to obtain
money is his object ; and what better can we expect of
men, whose whole lives are spent in defrauding and
cheating their fellow-men, by artifices so base, so vile,
that every honest mind shudders to contemplate them 1

I will now proceed to give an account of such games
as are most generally practised, noticing the various de-
ceptious tricks that are resorted to by gamblers in using
these games ; also, relating such incidents as will serve

SO ARTS AND MISERIES

Ah Affecting Story. — Mr. C and Mr. T

to illustrate their villanous nature and destructive influ-
ence, hoping by this means to produce in the minds of
my readers that deep abhorrence of the practice of gam-,
ing, that should be felt by every honest and honorable
mind. And, inasmuch as what I shall relate are facta
that have come within my own personal observation and
knowledge, I must believe that they cannot fail to make
a deep and salutary impression upon every individual,
young or old, that may honor this book with an attentive
perusal.

AN AFFECTING ACCOUNT 0F A YOUNG HAN BROUGHT TO
SUIN AND AN UIITIMELY DEATH DT GAMBLING.

The narrative which I now propose to give, will, I
trust, be of much senrice to many of my readers. If we
ourselves are sufficiently apprized of the deception
practised by mankind, perhaps we have some friends
who are comparatively in the dark in relation to such
matters; and if so, it is certainly our duty to inform
them, that they may not be subjected to the danger of
having to learn by sad experience. In this narrative I
shall relate nothing that is not founded on facts that have
come to my own knowledge.

Some time in the year 1829, there removed to the
south-western part of Virginia, a gentleman of fortune,

a Mr. G . His family consisted of a wife and an

only son of the age of about fifteen years. At that age,
his parents sent him to Philadelphia to receive his edu-
cation: At the expiration of five years he returned, and
found his parents very much elated at the improvement

OP GAMBLING. 21

Mr. C ud M*T-

he had made. There lived a near neighbor to him, a

Mr. T , a man of wealth. He had retired to live

on the riches he had accumulated ; and his most intimate
friends apparently, could not tell whence they came.
He very frequently, in his younger days, had made trips
to the south with slaves for that market, and always re-
turned with large profits, and it mattered not who went
with him, they always came back bankrupts. Mr. T.
finally settled himself, and came to the conclusion that
the interest of what he had, would be sufficient to sup-
port him handsomely for the rest of his days. He was a
man of high life, was very liberal to the poor, and denied
himself of no company or amusement, however expen-
sive, that would minister to his enjoyment He was
particularly fond of horse-racing and cock-fighting; and
always kept himself supplied with' the finest horses and
most choice fowls for these purposes. But still he
had managed it so that none who knew him in private
life, had any knowledge of the business in which he was
engaged. He was generally from home when the races
were going on, or a cock-match was to be fought ; but
still he so managed matters as to prevent any censure
being laid on him. His horses would almost invariably
win, but he always said that he did not make any thing
more than expenses.

Mr. G. was a different man from Mr. T. ; he was a
man of fine moral principles ; his chief amusement was
hunting with his pack of hounds and gun ; but this was
a kind of sport that did not suit Mr. T. He never paid
any attention to any thing from which he could derive
no other profit than mere amusement. Mr. T. always
made it a part of his business to find out the state of
every man's affairs in his neighborhood, and those in the

32 ARTS AND MISERIES

Fox-hunt. — H o we -m ining.

best circumstances were always sure to receive the
greatest share of his attention. During the acquaintance
that he had formed with Mr. C, he had learned that his
son would fall heir to the whole of his father's estate.
From that time his whole mind was occupied in contriv-
ing some means by which he might get po sses sio n of Mr*
C.'s fortune. To this end, his first step was to become
acquainted with young Mr. C. on his return to his
father's house tfom school. It so happened, that shortly
after his return, he went out with his dogs on a fox-hunt.
Mr. T. had his horse caught, and started to accompany
him ; they were out some considerable time, but with no
success, and when they were about to return, the follow-
ing conversation took place between them : — said Mr.
T., " This is dry sport." " Yes," said the young man,
" but it is a kind of amusement I am very fond of/ 1 " O
yes," replied Mr. T., " I was once as much pleased with
it as you appear to be, but I found other amusements
that are much more desirable ; I raise fine horses, and it
affords me great pleasure to see them run."* " But," said
Mr. C, " I always considered such a kind of sport, cruel
upon the dumb brute." " Not if they are really fine-
blooded animals," said Mr. T., " for in that case they
take as much delight in it as your dogs do in the chase."
" Indeed ! " answered the young man, " I always thought
that they had to be forced to run." Mr. T. told him
that in this he was very much deceived, and added,
" You know that I have a stable of fine colts in course
of training, and I wish you to come to-morrow morning
and see them gallop."

Mr. C, having accepted the invitation, called on the
following morning to witness the training of the colts.
He started several, and they ran with great speed, and

OP GAMBLING. 23

Social Card Playing.— Jockey Chiba.

apparently with so much ease to themselves, that Mr. O.
formed a better opinion of this kind of sport Mr. T.
saw that he was favorably impressed with what had
passed, and in a few evenings after, gave him an invita-
tion to attend a party at his house. The evening came,
and Mr. C. attended, and found a number of young per-
sons amusing themselves with cards. They insisted on
Mr. C. joining them, which he refused, urging as a plea
for his refusal, that he was wholly unacquainted with
games of that kind. This the company overruled, as
they promised to instruct him. They drew for partners,
and Mr. C. drew for his a Miss Amelia, the niece of Mr.
T., a very beautiful girl, and a first-rate whist player.
The evening passed away, and Mr. C. was very much
delighted with the game. At the close of the evening's
amusements, Mr. T. proposed to Mr. C. that he would
accompany him to the city on the following day, observ-
ing that himself and Miss Amelia were going, and that
there would be a vacant seat ; to this invitation the young
gentleman promptly assented. They accordingly set out
for the city next morning, Miss Amelia appearing much
elated with her anticipated visit to the city, but par-
ticularly with the prospect of being present at the races.
" Ah, indeed ! " said Mr. C, " I never knew that the
ladies visited the races." " O yes," said Mr. T., " all the
tips of society attend our clubs ; that is # Mr. C, pri-
vately ; no swindling, all merely for pastime and sport,
sir — there is a great deal of difference, I assure you,
sir." " I suppose so," said Mr. C, " but I know nothing
about any kind of racing, except that of boys in their
sports at school." " Well," said Mr. T., " I will ex-
plain the difference ; the match-races are made by two
men, each starting a horse ; each man puta \x\> «o mxxOfc*

24 ARTS AND MISERIES

First Lmmmi ia How rmrtag. — Th« Tlmtie.

and the fastest hone wins the money, and so you sec
sometimes they do cheat in this kind of racing. Bat,
sir, whenever each man starts a horse, (sometimes seven
or eight start,) the one that gets oat first takes the
money, and then you see that none of us gentlemea of
the club can lose much." Air. C. replied that he had
always had a very contemptible feeling for all kinds of
sporting. " O yes," said Mr. T., " and so did I with
certain classes of sportsmen; but we club-men always
see to it that none of this loose class of men get in
with us."

When they arrived at the city, they put op at one of
the principal hotels. After tea, Mr. C. was invited to
wait on Miss Amelia to the theatre. This being a place
nearly as bad in Mr. C.'s eyes as the race-coarse, be said
to Mr. T. that he had always thought, from what he had
heard, that the theatre was a place of dissipation. " O
no,' 1 said Mr. T. ; " not those that we attend ; " as if there
was a line of distinction to be drawn between theatres.
" You will see,' 1 added Mr. T., " all the first people of
the city there, and you will see nothing but the most
innocent amusement."

, Air. C. finally concluded to go. He felt very much
interested, and could not see what harm there could be
in going to such a place. The next scene for him to
visit was the race-course, though it cost him a struggle
to overcome his objections to going ; he thought, how-
ever, that if such young ladies as, Miss Amelia could
attend such places, there was no good reason that he
should stay away ; he therefore determined to go.

They had not been on the ground long, before the
horses were called up by the drum, and Mr. C. was very
much delighted with the gay dress of the riders, and the

OP GAMBLING. 25

Ladies betting on a Howe-race.

bustle and animation of the scene generally ; and upon
seeing one of Mr. TVs blaek boys in his jockey dress, he
remarked to Miss Amelia, " I believe that is your uncle's
boy, is it not? " " O yes," said she, '* uncle has a beau-
tiful gray colt to run for the sweep-stake to-day; you
recollect seeing Kim run the other day at home, when
they were training him ? " He replied, " I do not
understand the meaning of the term sweep-stake" " O,
that is, when they make a race, they 1 will, as many as
wish, put up perhaps one hundred dollars each ; and
each man that has a horse, which he thinks can win,
enters him, and they run, and the fastest horse takes the
whole of the money : then," she added, " you are at
liberty to bet on any one you please, being the lucky
horse: do you ever bet?" "No, miss," said he, "I
never bet a straw on any thing in my life, and to say the
truth, I never knew how." " Then," she observed, " you
must watch me, and I will instruct you." The time
came for the horses to start, and Miss Amelia wished to
make a bet, in which she was soon accommodated by
some other lady. She made a number of bets on her
uncle's colt. At length the horses were started, her
uncle's horse keeping behind, and one of the other horses
winning the first heat. There was great excitement,
and a great many offering to bet four to one that Mr. T.'s
horse would not win. Miss Amelia was taking all the
bets she could, until the horn called them up to start
Mr. C had now become excited, fearing that Miss
Amelia would lose her money, her bets amounting, in all,
to several hundred dollars. Still, however, she appeared
desirous to bet more, and her uncle sat and laughed at
her giddy notions ; but said that he liked to see her have
00 much nerve or courage to bet. The tatrea ttsxtaA.

2G ARTS AND MISERIES

A Card Party. — Mr. C participates in it.

the second time, and ran very handsomely, Mr. TVs ook
in the rear, until they had run about' three quarters of a
mile ; when Mr. T. made a motion with his handker-
chief, and immediately his horse made an effort, and
passed them like a flash, and won the second heat. Mr.
C appeared to be very much elated with the result, and
there was a great change in the countenances of the
people present : after this Miss Amelia seemed perfectly
easy. The horses started on the third heat, and Mr. TVs
colt continued in the rear for about the same distance as
in the preceding heat, when Mr. T. raised his handker-
chief as before, and then his colt, like a shot, passed
them all, and won the third heat with ease, which
brouglit the race to a conclusion.

Miss Amelia, having received her winnings, departed
for the city, in company with Mr. C, who was evidently
highly delighted with the amusements of the day ; and
upon their arrival at the hotel, this was the whole theme
of their conversation. The next day there was another
fine race; and Mr. T., having entered another horse,
was again successful : Mr. C. seemed as much delighted
with the sport as on the day before. On the third day
Mr. T. did not enter for the purse, but every thing
passed off very agreeably. That night Mr. 0. wgas
invited to a card party, to which he went with Jtjm
Amelia. The opposite partners (Miss Amelia having:
selected Mr. C. us hers) proposed betting wine and
sweetmeats : Miss Amelia took the bets, and she and
Mr. C. beat the others quite easily; and when they
retired, Mr. C. began to think that he might be classed
among the good whist players, and considered it a very
pleasant amusement. The following day they went to
the races, and witnessed a very delightful day's sport,

OF GAMBLING. 27

The Transition from Virtue to Vice imperceptible.

closing the day by a visit to the theatre, where Mr. C.
was highly entertained. On their return, Mr. T. asked
the young gentleman how he had enjoyed himself at the
races and the theatre. His' reply was about as follows *
" I am very much delighted, indeed, with both the races
and the theatre ; so much so, that 1 am determined to
buy me some young horses, and join the club, and will
visit the city with you every spring." "Good/? said
Mr. T. ; " there is no sport to equal it ; and then, you
know, Mr. C, that you will always have a chance to win
your expenses." Mr. T. bade him good evening, and
departed. Mr. C. retired, congratulating himself on the
speculations that he would realize upon maturing the
plans he then formed. Thrdughout the night, the card-
table, the theatre, and the horse-race, were uppermost in
his dreams.

In the morning, while he was meditating upon the
pleasures he had enjoyed at the races, and in other
amusements, he recollected that his father had sent some
five hundred dollars with him, to purchase a fine carriage
in the city, and some other articles for the family and
himself. He thought he would go out and make the
purchases before the time appointed for the races to
begin. He went and made the purchases, and when be
was about to take his pocket-book out to pay for them,
what was his surprise to find that it was gone! He
knew not, for the moment, what to do or to say; he
finally told the merchant to lay the articles aside for him,
and that he would call in shortly and take them. He
started out very much enraged at finding that he had
been robbed ; he met Mr. T. near the door of the hotel,
and related his misfortune to him. " Poh ! " said Mr.
T., " that is a mere nothing, sir ; it is only a trifling turn

28 ARTS AND MISERIES

What shall be done? — Fket Step in Vice takes.

of fortune ; I have not the least doubt but my niece will
make or lose two thousand this day." " Yes, sir," said
C. ; " but my poor old father and mother will think that
I hare been dissipating — not that I care a fig for the
amount. I must go and advertise k, or I shall certainly
never get it; what do you think of it?" "I can tefl
you, Mr. C, you should do no such thing ; you see, sir,
if a dishonest man should find it, he will not notice your
advertisement, and if an honest man finds it, he will
advertise it himself/ 1 " Well, sir," said the young man,
*' 1 shall have to go home without my carriage and other
articles ; and, besides, some of the neighbors sent money
with me to make purchases for them, and if I return
without them, they will say there is no dependence to be ,
put in me ; and then, sir, there will be so many different
conjectures as to the kind of company I was in. They
will inquire, Could you have lost it, or did some person
steal it from you? and other questions of this kind.* 9
" Never mind," said Mr. T. ; " I can put you in a way
that no person about home shall know any thing about it.
I will loan you the amount, and you can pay me when
you are able, and not even Miss Amelia shall know it;
and as you are going to raise some fine stock, yon will
be able to refund me the amount in a snort time." Mr.
C. was so much pleased with this offer, that he gratefully
accepted the money, about nine hundred dollars, and
went and paid for his carriage and other articles, and
returned to Mr. T., very much gratified with the success
he had met with.

The time for the race had now arrived, and Mr. G.
was so much pleased with the kindness and generosity
which Mr. T. had just shown him, that he had completely
won his confidence ; and upon their reaching the ground,

OF GAMBLING. 29

Best Three in Five. — Miss Amelia a Good Diplomatist.

lie asked Mr. T. which was his favorite horse. " O,
the black, of course," said he ; " and, sir, you must know
that we scarcely ever fail to win when it comes to test
the bottom of the horses. The black is my entrance ;
and don't you see how much Miss Amelia thinks he will
win 1 she is betting largely on the black." The horses
being ready, at the tap of the drum away they go, the
black winning the two first heats. The result of this
race induced Mr. C. to conclude that if the race was
repeated, he would venture to bet himself, and this ho
mentioned to Mr., T. " Well, v said Mr. T., ." on to-
morrow there is to be a very interesting race, and my
fine colt is to run again. The race will not be of the
same kind we had to-day ; it will be-the best three in five ;
the horse that beats three heats first, takes the purse ;
this they call the best three in jive. And now, Mr. C,
if I were to bet high, on any kind of race, it would be
on that ; but (said he) I scarcely ever bet much ; I
sometimes go as far as two or three hundred dollars, to
make it interesting."

In the evening they visited the theatre as usual, and
Miss Amelia was constantly talking of the great success
she had met with, and how she intended to bet on her
uncle's gray cok the next day. Mr. C. found himself so
much interested in the anticipated race, that he thought
he would take some money with him, and venture to bet
also. His inclination to do so was strengthened by
Miss Amelia's insisting that he would ; but, by the next
morning, he had come to the determination not to bet,
fearing that he would be unlucky, and believing that, in
such an event, he would not be able to pay it without
his parents' knowing that he had lost the money in that
way Mr. T., in conversation with him, remarked that

3* .

80 ARTS AND MISERIES

Sporting Chicanery,

his colt could win the race at the first three beats, bat
that it was his intention to lose the first two beats, and
to win the third, fourth, and fifth.

The time for commencing the race bad nearly arrived,
very few offering to bet ; bat those who did, offered to
bet on Mr. T.'s gray. The drum was tapped, and the
gray lost the first heat Bets were now offered to large
amounts that it would not win a single beat ; these bets
were all eagerly taken up by Miss Amelia. The horses ,
started, and the gray lost the second heat Then every
body believed that the horse that won the first two heats
would win the third also. Mr. C. saw Miss Amelia
betting very largely that the gray would win one beat
out of the five. They started again for the third heat,
and when they had run about three quarters of a mile,
Mr. T. waved his handkerchief, the gray shot forward
like an arrow, and won the heat. Mr. C. was now vexed
with himself that he had not bet on the race. Bets were
still offered and taken that the gray would not win the
next heat; Miss Amelia accepted a large number of such
bets. The horses got off, and as before, the gray kept
behind for about three fourths of the round ; again Mr.
T. raised his handkerchief, and scarce had the signal
been given, when the gray horse passed the others, and
won the fourth heat with great ease. The betting now
seemed silenced in a great measure, — the young lady
had been successful in every one that she had made.
There appeared to be but one man on the track that
wished to bet, and he said that he would stake one
thousand dollars that the gray horse would not win the
next heat Miss Amelia replied that she would bet with
him; this he politely declined, saying that he never bet with
ladies, but that he would bet with the gentleman sitting

OF GAMBLING- 31

The fiurt Horse not alwayi Winner.

in the carriage by her, meaning Mr. T\, who observed!
" I do not bet, sir j but if I did, I would bet you any
amount that my colt would win ; but, sir, I do not bet
on my own horses." Upon which the banterer inquired,
" Is that young man afraid, too? " " No, sir/' said Mr,
C, " I would bet you one thousand dollars as soon as
one dollar, had I the money with me." " I will loan it
to you," said Mr. T. ; and Mr. C. seeming to hesitate
about accepting the loan, the man, as if about to turn
away, rather sneeringly observed, "I find, gentlemen,
that you ha?e not got much nerve." Mr. C. finally
borrowed the thousand dollars, and staked it upon the
gray ; the one that took the first and second heats being
the only horse that was to contest the heat with him.
The drum tapped as usual, and the other horse was in
the lead, as before, for about three fourths of the way,
when Mr. T. again gave his customary signal, upon
which his horse speedily overtook the other, and in
passing, passed on the inside, and came out several yards
ahead. The gray's passing on the inside created a great
excitement ; and the judges gave it as their decision that
the gray horse lost the race by foul riding. This news
was like an electric shock to Mr. C, who thought that
he had certainly won. He tried to restrain his feelings
as much as possible before Miss Amelia; but when they
arrived in the city, lie took Mr. T. aside to consult with
him as to what he should do. Mr. T. told him to give
himself no uneasiness about the money he owed him,
and to let no person know there was any transaction of
the kind between them, and that he would wait his (Mr.
C.'s) pleasure for the sums he had loaned him, amount-
ing in all to near two thousand dollars. This appeared
to satisfy Mr. C, as he knew that in the course of a few

S2 ARTJ8 AND MISERIES

Mr. C— — persuaded to visit the Sooth.

months he would be in possession of an estate of perhaps
ten thousand dollars. This property his father and
mother then held, and had been left him bj his grand-
father, who had died when he was quite an infant, and
had made him his sole heir after he was twenty-one years
old ; but his father was to have the interest arising from
it until he came to that age. He was now within only
two months of that period.

Upon Mr. T.'s return home, he paid Mr. C. a visit ;
and while talking of their trip to the city, Mr. T. re-
marked, that he would like to visit the South the coming
winter, (it now being October,) and observed to the old
gentleman, that if he and his son would go in com-
pany, he would be very much gratified, and as an ad-
ditional inducement, suggested that they could each take
ten or a dozen slaves with them. This Air. C. protested
against, declaring that he never would engage in that
kind of traffic. " For my own part,' 1 said he, " I have
no wish to go ; but would be glad to have my son make
such a visit, but not to take any slaves with him." Mr.
T. returned home, and was much pleased with the pcqs-
pect of having the young man to accompany him to fife
South. He daily used his influence with young Mr* C.
to overcome his objections to taking some slaves irith
him. For some time, however, he persisted in refusing
to do it, contending that it was wicked and cruel to
barter in human flesh. But it was not long before Mr.
T. Muooeoded in overruling his feelings of repugnance,
by appealing to the constitution of the United States ;
and certainly, said ho, if it was not right, it would re-
ceive no kind of sanction from that quarter. He also
urged that he had made a great deal of money by. the.
traillo, ami that tho opcuiitg, nt that time, was far more

* OF GAMBLING. «•

Objections to the Traffic in Skives overcome.

■ .» ■ ■

flattering tban it ever had been before. Unhappily for
Mr. C, these considerations had much influence with
him ; he began to think the business was not of so odious
a character as his father supposed it to be. He accord-
ingly told Mr. T. that he would reflect upon his proposal;
and give him a final answer as soon as possible. In
addition to the arguments used by Mr. T., it occurred to
him that it would be an easy way to make the money he
then owed Mr. T., he having assured him that he would
be able to make not less than two hundred dollars on
each one. On the following evening, he waited on Mr.
T., and told him that he had come to the conclusion to
join him in the purchase of some twenty or thirty head,
and try .his luck in that way. Mr. T. told him that there*
was a large sale to take place on the 20th of December,
and that he thought they had better make their purchases
on a credit of six months. C. said that he would as
soon pay the cash, as he would have some twenty thou-
sand dollars about the 15th of that month. " No," said
Mr. T., " it would be much better for you to keep that
money ; for you may meet with an opportunity to spec-
ulate with it to great advantage : you know," he con-
tinued, " that I have plenty of money ; still, sir, we can
do far better to purchase them at six months* credit, and
then we have the use of our money ; it is hard to tell in
what situation we may catch some of those traders."
Mr. C. replied that he had still another serious objection
to offer, and that was, that he was unwilling that his
parents should know that he had ever engaged in any
such thing, as they were both very much opposed to it.
"O," said Mr. T., "I can easily arrange all that; I
can make the purchase, and all the slaves can be in my
name, and you can let on as if you were merely going

ARTS AND MISERIES

The Heir is Poeeearion of his WeeJtk.

with me for company." This Mr. C. consented to, and
returning home, he told his parents, that, with their ap-
probation, he believed he would go to the South on a
visit, as Mr. T. was going, and he would be of great
service to him in giving him information in regard to the
various objects of interest that they might meet with.
The old people felt a great anxiety for their son, and
were reluctant that he should be separated from them
even during the short space of such a visit They nev-
ertheless acceded to his wishes, and the old gentleman
took this occasion to give him some affectionate and
wholesome advice in regard to his filial duties, and con-
cluded by telling him that he had now arrived at the age
of m nit hood, and that all the property his father possessed
had been led to him by the will of his grandfather, to-
gether with twenty-one or twenty-two thousand dollars in
enah ; a certificate of deposit for which he would now
put into his hands, and he might then become his own
guardian. He then told him that the (arm he lived on
was likewise his, and that all his parents had to depend
on in their old age for their support, was the kindness of
their sou.

This appeared to have great influence upon the mind
of the young man, and for the moment, he thought that
be would abandon the idea of going to the South with
Mr. T, : thnt be hud plenty to live on without engaging
In any kind of spe-enlaiioti, and that he would act a more
eonnlNtent nnd dutiful p.irt by staving at home and taking
earn of hia parents in their old days. Soon after this he
vlnilnd Mr. T., nnd told him thnt bis father had bees
giving bint a long tnlk in toward to bis anticipated jour-
ney, union u other thing*, and tint be had nearly given
up the MtMioti of giting: "And father tells Hie," ht

r: OF GAMBLING. 35

The Slavery Arrangement eooiummated.

acded, " that there is a great deal of deception among
mankind." "O yes," said Mr. T., "and you know
what your father used to say to yon in relation to horse-
racing and the theatre, and yet you found them places
of innocent amusement; and furthermore, Mr. C, rf
young people take their parents' advice in all such mat-
ters, they will be children as long as they live; and,
besides, I will be with you, and you know that I will see
that no person harms you. And then, in addition to the
pleasure the trip will afford, you will, I have no doubt,
make several thousand dollars, which will buy you a
number of fine race-horses ; and my word for it, you will
find that your parents themselves will soon be convinced
that your course has been a wise one ; but don't let me
persuade you to any thing that may be against your feel-
ings in the least." Mr. C. finally concluded to take Mr.
T.'s advice, and engaged to take an equal interest with
him in purchasing the lot of slaves about to be sold.

The day having arrived when the sale was to take
place, the negroes were sold, and Mr. T. bid off some
fifty odd, which amounted to more than forty thousand
dollars. Owing to the largeness of the sum, the owner
required mortgages on real estate to secure him in the
payment of it. Mr. T. accordingly executed a mortgage
en his ovjn plantation for the whole amount, and pro-
posed to Mr. C. to give him a mortgage on his planta-
tion for his half of the amount. " And," said he, " no
person will know but that the purchase was made by me,
and for my exclusive benefit, and you will be entirely
private in the transaction." This the young man agreed
to, thinking that by this means how nicely he would
deceive his father, and, at the same time, how greatly he
would be benefited by it.

86 ARTS AND MISERIES

0.'a EaUtos aortfafed.

Mr. T. had the mortgage drawn up, and bound the
whole of Mr. C/s possession, for twenty-odd thousand
dollars : this included the two thousand dollars he had
lost in the fall at the races. On reading the mortgage,
young Mr. C. said that he did not wish the farm upon
which his parents resided, amounting to some three hun-
dred acres, to be included in the mortgage, as he in-
tended that it should belong to them the balance of then-
days. But Mr. T. told him that it should all be so
understood between them, and that what he then re-
quired was only a matter of form. " But," said Mr. C,
" it is my way always to have every thing straight, and
then there can be no hard feelings afterwards."

The mortgage was very binding, calling for twenty-
odd thousand dollars, (loaned money, and the cost- of
some twenty negroes,) all payable within the space of six
months, otherwise the whole amount of property, without
any reservation, was to fall into the hands of the holder
of the mortgage. When the young man looked at the
last items, he remarked that they appeared very binding.
To this the attorney replied, as Mr. T. had previously
done, that it was a mere form, in which Mr. T. joined
him. In short, as it appeared to Mr. C, they both
talked with so much candor and fairness, .that he con-
cluded that surely every thing was just right, and he
waived all objection, and proceeded to confirm the mort-
gage by putting his name to it.

Upon his return home, he kept the whole transaction
a profound secret from the old people. Every thing
being arranged, and the time having arrived for his
departure on his southern trip, he took an affectionate
farewell of his parents, and, as he supposed, but for a
short time. The negroes all having been shipped, he,

OF GAMBLING. 37

A new Character, introduced to the Reader.

in company with Mr. T. and Miss Amelia, embarked on
a steamer for New Orleans. Mr. C. was highly delighted
at meeting with so many fine ladies and gentlemen,
some of whom, he soon found, were very expert at his
favorite game of whist, and having been instructed by
Miss Amelia in the games of poker, brag, and boston,
he promised himself that he would figure to much advan-
tage among his newly-acquired acquaintance. In the
course of the voyage, Mr. T. frequently played, and
would sometimes bet; but this, he said, was only for
amusement Miss Amelia and other ladies and gentle-
men would also frequently play for money, but profess*
edly for amusement only. Mr. C. often had invitations
to join them, but Mr. T. would not let him, telling him
that he could not play well enough to play for money.
Mr. C, however, was almost constantly engaged in some
game, and began to think himself sufficiently skilled in
several to venture to bet He noticed that Mr. T. came
off winner -almost every day, and he considered himself
as good a player as he was; indeed, Miss. Amelia told
him that he was a better player than her uncle.

On their passage down the Ohio, the boat landed at a
small place near the mouth of the Kanhawa River for a
passenger. This passenger was quite, a starchy, gentle-
manly-looking man, wearing a large diamond pin, dia-
mond ring, and his apparel in all other respects corre-
sponding. As soon as Mr. T. met him, be gave him a
hearty shake of the hand, and said, " Doctor, I am very
happy to see you ; which way are you travelling ? " "I
have just started for the south," said the Doctor, "to
spend the winter." Mr. T. expressed himself as being
very happy that they had chanced to get on the same
boat. This all happened in the hearing of Mr. C, bat

4

88 ARTS AND MISERIES

- i ' ■ ~-

The Wealthy Doctor. — Game of Faro.

J

tbey did not seem as if they noticed him. At knfth
Mr. T. turned his head, and gate him an mtratactioijtto
the gentleman by the name of Doctor S., observing |fcat
he was just starting on a visit to the south also, tM that
he and his father were intimate acquaintances and friends
of his. On the Doctor's turning away to look after his
servant and baggage, Mr. C. asked Mr. T. if be under-
stood him to say that the Doctor visited the south to
practise his profession. " O no," said Mr. T., " he is a
gentleman of great wealth, being worth some five hun-
dred thousand dollars, and all in cash, sir, and is one of
those gentlemen who do not stand on their money the
least ; the very jewelry he has on is probably worth not
less than two thousand dollars ; and why need he care f
for his income is perhaps as much as that in a single
month, and he tells me that he is determined to live out
the interest of his capital ; and, sir, he thinks nothing of
sitting down at a card party and losing five hundred
dollars at once, and besides, he never allows any person
to be at any expense when he is about" " I suppose he
is a very good player," said Mr. C. "O, he is about
such a player as you or I ; he plays brag, poker, twenty-
one, and whist, very much as we do ; the game, however,
that he is most partial to, is the game of faro." " That,"
said the young man, " is a strange game to me." " Yes,"
said Mr. T., " it is only played by rich men, and, there-
fore, it is not common. The man that plays this game,
has to go to great expense ; he has to purchase, sir, a
fine silver box, worth, perhaps, one hundred dollars ; and
then he has to supply himself with a number of ivory
pieces, turned round like a dollar ; some of them colored
red, with various figures on them, and some of them
white, without any coloring, except, perhaps, around the

OF GAMBLING. 90

Price of a Faro Apparatus.

edge : and these checks, as they are called, wiH cost,
probably, two hundred dollars. And then the oase that
holds them is usually worth some fifty dollars ; and there
are very few, sir, who will pay such a sum merely lor
amusement ; and when you come to understand it, I think
you will like it so much better than any other game, I
should not wonder if you should purchase a set of faro
implements for your own amusement." " Indeed," said
Mr. C, " from your account I have a great curiosity to
learn to play this game." Mr. T. replied that the Doc-
tor would no doubt take pleasure in giving him a knowl-
edge of it.

The day passed away, and there was no game intro-
duced except poker and brag. The Doctor was invited
to play several times, but always objected. Mr. T. in-
quired of him why he did not play. " O, to tell yon
the truth," said the Doctor, " I am in the habit of play-
ing so high at those games — I bet so high on such
small hands, that those young players would never win a
pot or anty." " Well," said T., " sit down and play,
and we will run the risk of your running us off." The
Doctor complied with the invitation, and had not been
seated long before Mr. T. bet twenty dollars ; the Doctor
observed it was hard, but he was bound to bet him about
four hundred better. " Well," said T., " take it." C.
was standing and looking on, and thought that if it had
been himself in place of T., he would have taken the
other up. T. then showed three aces. " O r " said the
Doctor, " that was very good." And upon the Doctor's
showing his hand, it appeared that he had only one pair
of kings, and this satisfied C> that he himself was a
better player than T., for if he had had his hand he
would have called the Doctor. They continued to play

40 ARTS AND MISERIES

Mr. C wins at Brag. — Faro.

for some time, the Doctor winning of his opponent qaifte
frequently ; and when he had won some two or three
hundred dollars, T. asked C. to play his hand a few
minutes, when, in a very short time, C. made a bet, and
the Doctor staked three hundred better. C. called and
beat him. The Doctor asked him to let him see his
hand, when C. laid down three aces. " Good 1 " ex-
claimed the Doctor, and C, pocketing the money, seemed
very much elated at the success he had met with. The
game soon closed, and T. was loud in his praises of the
young man's success, and said that he would soon make
a first-rate player.

That night T. asked the Doctor to play faro for them ;
this he agreed to do after supper, and for this purpose
took them into his state-room, where, for the first time
in his life, the young man witnessed that fascinating
mode of gaming. He was very much delighted with the
game, the box, the instrument itself, the beautiful checks;
&c. T. took some of the dollar checks and bet,
and occasionally some of the five dollar checks, and
played all the evening ; and when the Doctor dosed the
game, T. was two or three hundred dollars winner.
" Well," said the Doctor, " friend T., you have been too
much for me this evening/' and paying him the amount
of his winnings, he added, " Never mind, I will make
you pay for this shortly." When they left the state-
room, C. was talking to T., and congratulating him upon
his good fortune. " O yes," he replied, " but we may
play to-morrow, and perhaps he will win the whole of it
back," charging C, at the same time, not to say any
thing about their playing in the state-room, lest some
should think that they were gamblers. " Never fear,"
said C, " that I am going to speak of any thing that

OP GAMBLING. 41

mAmmimm

A patent Gambler describe*.

would make people think unfavorably of us." And at
his request, Mr. T. proceeded to give him a description
of a gambler, that he might be on his guard against
such persons. " They will sometimes," said he, " when
they are in groups by themselves, try to assume the
character of gentlemanly sportsmen. These men cheat
in every possible way, when they play at cards, and if
they cannot by this means get your money from you*
they will not hesitate, if an opportunity occurs, to pick
your pockets ; and if your money is in such a situation
that it is not convenient to get hold of it, (that is, if you
have it tied round you,) the greater part of them will not
stick to knock you down and take.it from you; so you
see that you ought never to form any acquaintance with-
out an introduction by some particular friend." " Well,"
said C, " indeed I had no idea that there was such a
bad race of beings upon earth ; it is true, father told me
that I should always be on my guard against that class
of men, but he never told me in what way I might be
able to designate them; pray tell me, Mr. T., what
causes these men to be so bad — is it necessity ? "
" O no/ 1 said he ; " many of them have been well
raised, had pious parents; some of them, perhaps,
married against their parents' will ; others would be set
up by their parents in business, and by some bad man*
agement would fail, and to elude the grasp of their cred-
itors, would leave their native place, and attach them-
selves to this desperate class of sportsmen, or gamblers.
But the most of them, perhaps, are misled through
vanity. You may see some twenty of these young men
in company together, all of them fine-looking, and of
sprightly minds, and good sense ; and if you inquire

more particularly, you will find their history to be some-

4*

42 ARTS AND MISERIES

The Depravity of Vice of Rapid Growth.

thing like this : — They had ail the opportunities, in
their young days, of becoming ornaments to society;
but in many respects had acted badly, and disobeyed
their parents, and being prepossessing in their appear-
ance, and connected with families of respectability, wealth,
and influence, they were generally admired, but partic-
ularly by females of a questionable character ; and being
self-willed and self-confident, they would pay little or no
attention to the remonstrances of their friends against
this kind of company, but would take their own way,
until they would become so addicted to bad habits and
bad associations, that their parents, as well as other
people, would so far lose confidence in them, that they
would not dare to trust them ; while they would probably
have other brothers not half as well calculated to do well
as themselves, but owing to the correctness of their de-
portment, would enjoy the confidence of their parents,
and could get any amount of credit they might wish for.
They go on from one degree of depravity to another,
until their parents (no matter how strong their affections
for them may be) feel themselves bound to discard them,
or let them remain and ruin the rest of the family, and
render them penniless in their old age. Under these
trying circumstances, what can they do but to tell him
that they are bound to let him shift for himself? He now,
perhaps, seeks consolation by telling the story of his
misfortunes to his mistress, who, he confidently believes,
will sympathize with him, and only be the more devoted
to him in consequence of it He soon learns, however,
that he has a rival in her affections ; and the next thing
is, that she (with hollow professions of pity for his con-
dition) discards him also. His situation he now feels to
be a very desolate one. His education, if he has one!

OF GAMBLING. 48

1 »l ■■!

Mr. C— beta on Faro* and wins.

will be of no service to him, for no person has sufficient
reliance in his steadiness and integrity to be willing to
give him employment/ and having no trade, he feels
himself driven, almost as a matter of necessity, to throw
himself into that class of persons called gamblers, and
soon becomes as desperately bad as the worst of them."

C. replied, that such persons were greatly to be pitied.
" O," said Mr. T., with an air of perfect indifference,
" we have no need to trouble ourselves about other men's
evil doings. But tell me," he continued, " is not that
game of faro a very pretty one 1" " Yes," said C, " I
am so delighted with it, that I have thought that I would
venture to bet some myself the next time it is played."

On the following day the Doctor " opened " for them,
and T. " changed " (that is, took checks) to the amount
of a hundred dollars, and commenced playing. C. also
desired to do so, but T. told him that he would rather he
would not, and upon C.'s insisting, T. finally gave him
some twenty dollars' worth, and requested him to bet for
him. This pleased the young man very much ; he loved
the excitement of betting, and having played for some
time, he found himself some fifty dollars winner. T., in
the mean time, getting out of checks, borrowed some of
C, whose bank appeared to be much better than his
own ; so that, at the end of the game, C. had won not
less than two hundred dollars for Mr. T. Having suc-
ceeded so admirably, the young man flattered himself
that he was perfectly conversant with the game, and de-
termined that when the Doctor opened again, he would
play upon his own responsibility.

The Doctor opened for them the third time, and C.
changed to the amount of fifty to try his luck. T. en-
deavored to persuade him not, but he refused to take his

44 ARTB AND MISERIES

—————— ' — — t>B— <M<1

The Nmriee and the Adept.

advice; he played on, and won, and at the close of the
game he came off some seventy-five dollars winner. The
Doctor gave him the money for the checks ; bat C. in-
sisted upon his playing on, that he would give him a
chance of winning his money back* The Doctor ex-
cused himself by telling him that he was tired. In this
game T. was a loser to a small amount. After the game
was over, " Well/' said T», " you would bet, would
you ? " " Certainly," replied C, " and you see that I
was right." "There is nothing like nerve," said the
other, " and I see you have plenty of it ; but mind, you
cannot say that I ever persuaded you to play." "O,
certainly not," said C. He then went and locked him-
self up in his room, and studied the principles of the
game of faro, and finally concluded that he was quite
able to beat the man who dealt the game.

The next time the Doctor opened, C. changed his
money for checks, and commenced betting in a new way,
which he felt sure could not fail to prove successful.
His plan was this : to bet one check, and if he lost that,
he would bet two, and if he lost them, bet four, and so
on, continually doubling his bet ; so that, onuthis plan,
whenever he would win, he would get back all that he
had lost, and one dollar over. This plan he adopted,
but kept it a'secret from T., for fear he might fail, and
that then T. would laugh at him. He and the Doctor
played some two or three hours, and C. found himself
winner some twenty-five dollars. The Doctor opened
every day, and at the end of each sitting, C. had the
satisfaction to find that he had come off winner, though
the amounts were small.
- By this time they had nearly reached New Orleans,
and thus far the young man was very much pleased with

OP GAMBLING. 45

The Travellers arrive at New Orleans.

his trip. When they arrived at the city, Mr. T. ob-
served to him, that as the slaves had not yet arrived, and
as their baggage was aboard of the boat, which was
going to remain in port some ten days, he thought that it
would be as well for them to stay on the boat as long as
she was in port. To this proposal C. readily assented ;
the Doctor, however, left the boat with his servant, and
took lodgings in the city. "C. was very much pleased
with New Orleans ; he was delighted particularly with
the theatres, balls, and other amusements, which he at-
tended in company with Miss Amelia ; and the more so,
as he had for some time been deprived of her company,
in consequence of her having been quite ill.

Not having seen the Doctor for some time, he finally

asked T. what had become of him. T. replied that he

- had been t>ccupied by a great deal of company, but that

he was aboard of the boat that morning to see them, and

had left cards for them to call and see him at B 's

-arcade. " Suppose we go and see him," said T. "Cer-
tainly," was the reply. They accordingly made their
call on the Doctor, who professed to be much gratified at
seeing them. " For," said he, " I have been so engaged
in business that I have not been able to indulge myself
in a single game of faro since I left you." " Well," said
T.,'"we have no objection to gratify you for a short
time." The Doctor produced his apparatus as usual,
and the game went forward. Sometimes C. would be
one or two hundred dollars loser, but would continue to
double his bets until he would get even again. T. ob-
served, " I think, young man, you bet rather high."
" O no," said C, " I do not think so." They played
all that afternoon, and C, as usual, was winner to a small
amount. That evening they returned and renewed their

46 ARTS AND MISERIES

The Feathers of the Pigeon ruffled.

betting ; but they had not been engaged long before T.
said that he had some business down stairs, but told C.
to play on, and he would soon be back. C. bet on, and
lost, and continued to double his bets until his bet
amounted to five hundred dollars ; he lost that also, and
then bet one thousand dollars. Here the Doctor re-
quested him to put up the amount " Certainly," said
he, and pulled out his roll of money, and paid the Doctor
the amount of his losings, and put up the thousand dol-
lars besides ; and having lost that likewise, he put up
two thousand, and losing this, he put up four thousand,
and lost that; and telling the Doctor to hold on, he
pulled out eight thousand dollars, and at that moment
the negro servant said that Mr. T. was coming, when C.
caught up the money, and crammed it in his pocket, beg-
ging the Doctor, for God's sake, he would not tell Mr.
T. that they had been playing any higher than usual.
T. came in, and they were both very calm. " Well,
boys,'* said he, " how do you make it ? " " O, about even,"
replied C. T. observed, " I wish to see you on some
private business ; so come with me." They walked out
of the room on the gallery of the arcade, when T. said,
" I have a proposition to make to you. There is a friend
of mine in Texas that wishes to purchase our negroes on
four months' credit, and if I can purchase yours of you,
I will take the responsibility on myself, and I will pay
you the cash for your half, and will also give you five
thousand dollars profit, and then you will have the use
of your money the length of time that will intervene
before you will have to lift your bond ; and you may
purchase sugar here and ship it home, and make per-
haps five thousand dollars more." This C. thought was
a good offer, and accordingly accepted it. T. then

OF GAMBLING. 47

Placidity of the Doctor. — Compunctious Vuitkip.

counted out to him some twenty-five or twenty-six thou-
sand dollars, observing, that as soon as the negroes ar-
rived, he would go with his friend to Texas, and that he
should remain and amuse himself in the city until his
return. He then left C, telling him that he had some
business to attend to, and, advised him to go and see the
Doctor, and that he would call for him as he came back.

The young man called in at the Doctor's room, who
was sitting as unconcerned, apparently, as if nothing
had happened. C. insisted on his " opening " again.
He did so, and C, being now amply supplied with cash,
bet large sums on the game, and in a short time found
himself loser to the amount of several thousand dollars
more, and was very much excited, when T. was heard
coming in, who said, " Excuse me, Mr. C, but I wish
you to go down to the vessel — she has arrived with the
negroes."

Poor C. now began to feel the smart of the gaming-
table, and particularly the faro. He now felt how greatly
he had erred in not obeying the advice of his parents.
He was now no less than twenty thousand dollars loser
in the course of a few hours. He had carefully abstained
from letting T. know any thing of his losings. He had
only one remaining hope, and that was, that he would
get the Doctor to play for him, and that perhaps by this
means he would win his money back.

The next day he called on the Doctor, and played,
and was about seven thousand dollars loser, when T.
called, and told him that he was then about going to
Texas to deliver the negroes. C. said he would remain
in the city until he returned. T. advised him to remove
his baggage to the hotel, (it having been at the boat
until this time ; ) this, he said, it would be best for him to

48 ARTS AND MISERIES"

Thfc Pcvcr of Hope. — The Gambler's Maelstroom.

do, as he would have more company at the hotel. He
informed Mr. C. that Miss Amelia was going with him,
as the trip would probably be of great advantage to her
health. " But," said T., " I will have your baggage
taken to the North American Hotel, and will call and
take dinner with you." He then left C, who returned to
the Doctor's room, but did not find him at home, and the
servant told him that his master would not be back until
three o'clock in the afternoon. C. promenaded the hall
of the arcade until two, when he thought he would go
to the hotel and bid Mr. T. farewell. When he arrived
at the hotel, he found his baggage there, and a card from
Mr. T. bidding him farewell, and saying that the boat
would leave in a very (few minutes, and he might expect
to see him again in about three weeks, and requesting
that, if he could help it, he would not leave for home
until his return from Texas.

C. now felt quite desperate ; near thirty thousand dol-
lars out of pocket, and no person in the city, with the
exception of the Doctor, with whom he had: any ac-
quaintance. He did not eat much dinner, and finally
thought that he would again go and try his luik at faro.
He went, found the Doctor in his room, and they com-
menced playing. C. lost, as usual, and thus he con-
tinued to lose, until he had not a solitary dollar left.
He then offered to bet his watch ; this went at a breath.
" Well,'* said he to the Doctor, " I am a ruined man,
unless you give me a chance to win my money back."
" Certainly," replied the Doctor, and then pulled out ten
thousand dollars, and told him to bet that. C. played
on, but it was not long before the money returned to the
pocket of the Doctor. " Well," said he to the young

**M

£^5

OF GAMBLING. 49

Hope's tot Grasp loosened. — A Surprise.

man, " call on me to-morrow morning, and I will give
you a chance."

As may well be supposed, C. returned to the hotel in
a most desperate state of mind. His reflections ran back
to his worthy old parents, and the situation that he had
placed them in, and bitter was the thought, that there was
now no way left him by which he could secure them even
a comfortable home ; and under the influence of these re-
flections, most sincerely did he wish that he had never
left home. The only glimmering hope that remained
was, that T. would permit them to live on their old farm
the remainder of their days. He called on the Doctor
again, but was told that he had left the city. This news
nearly distracted his brain. He would visit the room
every day as regularly as the day would come, and sit
about the door as if he thought that certainly he would ,
soon return. Several days had elapsed, and C. had per-
haps not eaten five meals during that time. He thes
thought that if Mr. T. would return, he would probably
assist him. Some ten days had elapsed, and poor C. was
walking, as usual, through the arcade, when he received
a note by a servant, stating that a lady wished him to
call round on Canal Street and see her, as soon as con* .
venient This he did immediately, and as soon as he
arrived, and to his great surprise, whom should he meet
bnt Miss Amelia* For some time they both remained
silent; at length Miss Amelia exclaimed : " O," said she,
" forgive me, Mr. C, but he is a great villain. w
"Who?" said he. "Mr. T.," she replied. "Impos-
sible!" said the young man; "he is the best friend I
ever had, and had I taken his advice, I would this day
have been a happy man." " Ah ! " said she, " you are not
as well acquainted with T. as I am." Shs then related

&

M ARTS AND MISERIES

* — —

Astounding Developments.

mtmmmm — — ■— ■ ■■■■■^ — «_i ... M . ■ ■■ ■ ■ ,■ ■ — — ■ ■ - ■ ■■ ■ - ■■ i i ■. ■ ■" ■ i^ ™ ^— «^»—

to him the treatment she had received of him, and then
observed, " You will certainly forgive me ; my troubles
are great" He told her that she had no reason to lear
any thing from him, as he was not of a disposition to
injure any person on earth, and the only persons that he
had ever injured in all his life, were his dear parents. She
then went on to explain to him in what way T. had
deceived him. She told him that T. had found out his
situation, and had told her that he had bad it in contem-
plation, as much as three years before he did, to win, or
swindle him out of his money; and that she was no
niece of Mr. T.'s ; that he had become acquainted with
her when she was performing on the stage m Philadel-
phia, and that he had got her to come and pass for his
niece, and that she. had already been the cause of the
ruin of several young men ; that after his return from
school at Philadelphia, all her pretended uncle's talk was
as to the way by which he might decoy him. She finally
told him that T. had written down lessons for her to
learn, so that every thing might come out right; and
that she was the person that had stolen his money at the
theatre, and gave it to T. ; and that the horse-race on
which he had lost a thousand dollars, was gotten up on
purpose to entrap him; that T. had the man to come
and proffer the bet. She likewise told him that the fifty
odd slaves were owned by T. himself,- and that the sale
was false. And as4o the Doctor, she informed him that
he was one of T.'s " strikers ; " that he always had from
three to a dozen of such at his command ; that the Doc-
tor and T. had returned home, and that the individual
who went by the familiar name of " the Doctor," was a
notorious gambler, and had, in his time, been a convict
in the* penitentiary ; and that there was no doubt but that

OF GAMBLING. 61

Mr. C 'a Wretched Condition. — Bitter Reflection*.

11 i 'i — ^— —

he would have got bis money in some other way, if he
had not gambled with him; that he always had some
men on steamboats to steal for him.
• This appeared to alarm €. more than any thing else;
for he recollected that he had frequently seen the Doctor
conversing with very coarsely-dressed men, and when he
would come near, he would pretend that he was just
asking them questions about the boat, the river, &a
These men Miss Amelia assured him were all followers- of
the Doctor, that always held themselves ready to perform
Che most desperate acts that he might require of them.

She then told him that her sickness was all affected ;
that she only did it, that he might go to the arcade and
play faro, and that all the betting she had done on the
race-course was for T. She then took out different
notes that T. had given her, to confirm the statements
she had made ; that no person knew of the conversations
that had taken place but TB. He then saw at once
through all the designs that had proved so fatal to him.
He bade her good day, and returned to the hotel, and
locked himself up in his room, and was soon absorbed in
deep meditation upon his wretched condition. He knew
not what to do ; he was then in a strange country, with-
out a friend or acquaintance except this Miss Amelia ;
he had no friend to sympathize with him. He thought
he would return and see if she would not assist him.
He returned to the house where she was, and the lady
told him that she had stolen some articles of plate, and
that she had found them with her, and that she had
driven her from her house, and could give him no
information concerning her further. C. then left, and
returned to his reflections upon his dreary condition.
His mind again ran back to the advice his good old

64 ARTS AND MISERIES

The Father and Mother.

When C. entered the house, she fastened her eyes
upon him, and thought she could see a change in his
countenance. She asked him if he was ill in health.
His reply was, that his health was. as good as it was
generally, but that lie had found out something in relation
to their son, which afflicted his feelings more than any
thing had done during his whole life. He then sat down,
and told her every thing he had heard, and showed her
the notes that he had taken up. This news appeared to
shock the old lady very much; but she bore it with great
fortitude, and tried to console her husband by saying
that perhaps it was not so bad as they had supposed.

Time passed on, and young Mr. C. could not be heard
from. Finally Mr. T. called on them, and told them
that he had just come from the post-office, and that he
found a letter there, and as he felt a deep anxiety to hear
from their son, had brought them the letter. He then
felt in Iris pocket for the letter, as he had put it in his
pocket-book; but his pocket-book . was gone. He said
he had lost it, and immediately started back in search of
it, but did not succeed in finding it. Some two or three
days passed, but no trace of the pocket-book or letter.
Mr. T. finally advertised the pocket-book and contents ;
but could hear nothing of them. Mr. T. said it con-
tained some two or three hundred dollare, besides a
number of valuable papers. Some two or three months
passed away without any news from young Mr. C,, when
old Mr. C. visited the post-office, and upon inquiry, the
same letter that Mr. T. had taken out was handed him.
He took the letter and hastened to open it; and upon
doing so, found its contents as follows : —

* ■ *»:.. . • . .

/

OF GAMBLING. £5

Young Mr. C '» Letter to nil Parents.

" Nbw Orljbahs, March 7, 1836,
" My Beloved Parents :

You will doubtless feel a momentary joy at the recep*
tkm of this letter from the child of your bosom, on whom
you have lavished all the favors of your declining years,
and have loved with a parental ardor only to be felt, bat '
never to be told by mortal tongue. O ! should a feeling
of joy for a moment spring up in your hearts when you
shall have received this from me, cherish it not ; it is the
deceptive calm, which would allure the mariner to repose,
while the hurricane, which follows in its path, shall come
upon him in the plenitude of its fury, and hurl with
irresistible might his frail bark to sudden destruction.
O! my dear parents will forgive this language, which I
doubt not will grate harshly upon a parent's ear ; but it
is forcibly wrung from the lips of your erring son, whose
mind is almost frantic by reason of events unforeseen to
me ; which have had their fulfilment during my absence
from home, and have rendered me the most miserable of
mortals, and utterly ruined you. Early on my return to
your mansion, was I singled out by the destroyer as his
victim, who, Judas-like, kissed as he betrayed, and
hurled to destruction when he pretended to save. Had
your parental admonitions been heeded at all times, and
had due deference been given to your mature wisdom
and judgment ; had I the moral strength and virtue of a
Paul to bear up against the seductions of the whokr
world, I might have stood : but I am one of the weakest
of the weak, and have fallen deep! deep! — never more
to rise. O! the unutterably keen and bitter remorse,
which preys with giant fury on my inmost soul, and nils

£6 ARTS AND MISERIES

Young Mr. C— »s Letter to his Parents.

*- - - ■-.---

my braia with madness at the thought of the wrong I
have done you.

Those gray hairs which I should have honored and
protected, I shall bring with sorrow down to the grave,
No kindly hand will you have, in that home of anguish, to
smooth and brush away the clouds which will rest upon
your aged brows. All will desert you, and leave you to
the tender mercies of the vile destroyer of our earthly
happiness. Here, in this city of iniquity, has my ruin
been accomplished. I will not curse my destroyer, but
O! may God avenge the wrongs and impositions practised
upon the unwary, in a way that shall best please Him !
He whom I took for my best friend, proved my enemy
and destroyer. — This, my beloved parents, is the. last
you will receive from me. I humbly pray your forgive-
ness of the evils I shall have brought upon you. It is
my dying prayer. Never more in this life shall I see or
hear from you. Long before you shall have received
this letter from me, the cold grave will have closed upon
me forever. Life is to me insupportable. I cannot,
nay, I will not, survive the shame of having ruined you.
Forget and forgive me, is the dying prayer of your
unfortunate son 1 "

As soon as the old man had read this letter, he showed
it to his wife; and surely it were utterly vain to attempt
to describe the feelings that must have agonized their
aged bosoms. To think that their only child, who had
always been one of the most affectionate and obedient
of cfriklren, should have been hunted down like a fawn
in the forest, and to think that this vile man should
watch, pursue and take him as he would a lamb ! They
could scarcely realize that such was the case, — that it

OF GAMBLING. 57

Old Mr. C 'g Interview with the Attorney.

could be their child, their only child, the expected solace'
and support of their declining years, whom they had
taken every care to preserve from the contaminating
influence of vicious habits and associations! It was
only about nine months before the receipt of this
distressing intelligence, that he had received honorable
testimonials of his mental acquirements, and of his
being one of the most exemplary young men belonging
to the institution in which his education was completed.
And from that time, his fiend-like destroyer had been
haunting him, and finally proved his ruin. Mr. C.
thought he would call and see what this monster had to
say in relation to the destruction of his dear boy. On
his arrival at the house of Mr. T., he was met and invited
in. He inquired if Mr. T. was at home, and was told
that he had gone south, with the intention of spending
the sickly season at the warm springs of Arkansas, and
that he would probably not return under six or seven
months; but that he had left his attorney to attend to his
business, Mr. C. inquired if the attorney was in ; and
being told that he was, he soon entered the sitting-room,
and upon his introduction to the old gentleman, he
exclaimed, " Ah, indeed, I am happy to see you ; I was
just thinking of paying you a visit, as I have some
business to settle with you that has been placed in my
hands by Mr. T\, who said he felt a delicacy in calling
on you ; but, sir, as it is, it becomes my duty to attend
to this matter." " Well, really," said the old gentleman
with great surprise, " you talk like one who is insane."
" Well," replied the attorney, " Mr. C, perhaps you will
know something more about it when you examine this
document." He then pulled out a deed, wherein young
Mr. C. had sold all his possessions to this man, T., and

^k

f
68 ARTS AND MISERIES

■ — — — I., i — — — — «— . -^« .

Old Mr. C discovers toe Villantes of T . — The Suicide. .

the conditions of the sale were such -as brought T. in full
possession of the entire estate. He discovered that the
conveyance had been recorded some six months before,
and found that the obligation was for slaves and borrowed
money. This was something strange indeed. Mr. C.
made no reply, but immediately mounted his horse and
returned home. He sat down, and reflected on what he
had seen and heard, and tried, if possible, to unravel
the mystery of it. He saw plainly that this man, T.,
had most grossly defrauded his son, that the notes that
he had taken up were the same money spoken of in the
deed, but saw, also, that he had no resource.

In reflecting on the whole matter, he thought it would
be useless to make any resistance, feeling that it was out
of his power to get any advantage of this unprincipled
man ; and concluded that by living upon the income of
what little they possessed, they might be able to sustain
themselves the rest of their days. He accordingly made
a sale, and disposed of his stock, and other movable
property. While he was preparing to leave the mansion,
which for several years he had hoped would be a shelter
for him in his old age, he concluded to return to one of
the Eastern States, and spend the balance of their days,
if possible, on the scanty pittance that was left. A few
days after this, the old gentleman went to the post-office
with the hope of hearing something more in regard to
his dear, unfortunate boy. He was much surprised at
finding a letter directed to him and post-marked New
Orleans. He opened it, and then it was that he learned,
with unutterable anguish, that his son was no more ; that
he had committed suicide by blowing his brains out with,
a pistol. This letter was signed " Amelia." She gave
a strict and correct disclosure of all the facts, as she had

OF GAMBLING. £0

Old Mr. C removes to New York. — Poker.

a perfect knowledge of them. She stated that she had
been to Texas some time, and that on her return, she
had made inquiry for young Mr. C, and that they had
told her that some months before he had blown out his
brains in his chamber, and that no one had any knowl-
edge where he was from, or who he was. She asked
forgiveness of his parents for the part she had taken in
the destruction of their son ; for she acknowledged that
she had been one of his destroyers. Upon the reception
of this dreadful letter, the old parents hastened to take
their leave of a place, the very sight of which filled and
harrowed up their souls with the bitterest recollections.
They removed to some small village not far from the city
of New York, to spend their few remaining days, bowed
down with decrepitude, indigence, and sorrow, yea,
untold sorrow; while the despoiler, and the heartless
murderer, of their beloved boy, was revelling and
wallowing in his ill-gotten wealth, and plotting new
schemes of infamous villany against his fellow-men. But
Heaven is just, and such miscreants will, sooner or later,
most assuredly meet their appropriate reward.

TIE GAME OF POKER.

There is no mention of this game in Mr. Hoyle's
treatise on games ; and I am of the opinion that it was
not used in his day. It seems' to be a variation of the
game of brag, being similar to it in many particulars ;
such as making pairs, passing and becoming eldest hand,
betting several times on the strength of the same hand,

60 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in Various Games. — Poker.

and calling to sight. It is usually played with twenty
cards, that is, ace, king, queen, jack, and ten, of each
suit, and the cards rank the same as at whist. It is
played by two, three, or four persons, each having five
cards ; no trump is used.

It is not my purpose to enter into such a detail as will
teach those who know nothing of the game, any thing
about playing it. I would that all were ignorant of it ;
but those who already know something of the game will
better understand my explanation, and those who do not
know any thing of it, I hope will learn its evils suf-
ficiently to deter them from ever trying to become con-
versant with it

This is a game that is immensely destructive — per-
haps more so than any other short game at cards now in
use ; and often is it that thousands of dollars do, in a
few minutes, change owners. There are no limits to the
bets ; and frequently a game, which takes from two to
five minutes to play it, begins as low as a quarter of a
dollar, and runs up to thousands in one or two minutes,
and the person holding the best hand wins. But this is
not always the case; for the man who has the most
money will frequently bet so high on a poor hand, as to
run his adversary off and win; that is, the adversary,
fearing that his hdhd is really the better hand, will, in
preference to risking more, throw up his own hand, and
forfeit what has already been bet .This is a run off, as
well as in cases where he has not money enough to meet
the proposed bet.

Then the facility of cheating in this game, in various
ways, renders it, even to the veteran gambler, a preca-
rious game; and the uninitiated need never expect to
win any thing— none need ever place the least reliance

OF GAMBLING. 01

Deceptions ueed in Various Games.— Poker.

on luck, and bis knowledge of the game, for neither, nor
both together, can avail him any thing when at play with
an habitual gambler, whose profession might be justly
called robbery, though very often carried on under the
color of friendly amusement; and who can cheat the
unprofessional gamester with the greatest ease, even
though he should be apprized of his intention to do so,
and should watch him with the strictest vigilance. To
many this may seem to be exaggeration, but it is
nevertheless literally true. I have often seen profes-
sional gamblers at a table, playing with professional
gamblers, and they expected to be cheated, or expected
the attempt would be made, and watched with all the
vigilance they were capable of; and notwithstanding
their intimate knowledge of card-cheating, they were
cheated, and beat out of their money. I have often wit-
nessed such superior exhibitions of professional skill,
successfully put in practice against one another, and
have as often been reminded of the saying, that " when
Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war." Let
no man consent to sit down to a game with the soothing
reflection that he may perhaps be lucky. No gambler
depends on his luck, but on his skill in cheating, and
poker is a game as well calculated for their rascally
practices as any other game, and better than most games
in general use.

The small number of cards (20) with which it is
played, is an advantage to gamblers, and renders it very
easy to keep the eye on particular cards, and to stock
them, and deal off particular hands at their own pleasure ;
frequently giving out hands that are seldom got in the
common course of fair play, and are seldom dealt out
but by design. And a person unacquainted with the-

6

62 ARTS AND MISERIES

..» . .j.i ■■ .. I. i. ■ i in * ^f» •«

Deceptions used in Various Games. — Poker.

, -i - - - - - - —..- — ■— -■ .- j - _ _ T — [ft- - - ~

tricks of the professional gamester, will, after receiving a
few such uncommonly good hands, become highly elated,
and think himself in the extreme of good luck; and after
having won a few unimportant bets, he becomes im-
boldened to venture with more freedom. He is then
just in that state in which the gambler has been trying to
get him, that is, in the humor for betting ; and from that
moment he is destined to experience a sad change in his
fancied good luck. And though he now continues to
lose at almost every game, he rashly continues to hope
and play, until he is completely drained of his last dollar.

This is one among the many methods used by men
who depend chiefly on gambling for a living, to succeed
in their diabolical designs upon those whom they can by
any means entice to the card-table, The unfortunate
victim, by holding such good hands, believes himself to
be extremely lucky ; he then becomes flushed with his
winnings, and risks largely, and is soon stripped of all he
has. This is not done by any change being made in his
hand; for the unfortunate man will still have as good
hands as he at first got, and sometimes better ; for it is
to the gambler's interest that he will readily venture to
brag on. For instance, "he will deal out three aces and
a pair of kings: this is a splendid betting hand, and
would win nine times out of ten in fair play, but is good
for nothing but to lose large sums on in playing against
those patent players, who, against such a hand as this,
will give themselves four queens, or four jacks, by which
they are sure to win the game, which the other felt so
certain of gaining, and on which he bet so freely.

There was a time when this game was not so dan-
gerous as it has come to be of late years. It was then
common to see men of almost all classes amuse item*

I*.

OF GAMBLING. 03

.DeoeptioM and In VarkNM Game*. — Poker. — KefleethMw.

selves at this game; and landlords would join their
guests in a game for social amusement. Captains and
other officers of packets and steamboats, generally,
would engage freely in a game with their passengers for
recreation. And little, if any thing, was wagered or lost
at the game, and all got up pleased, and seldom had any
cause of dissatisfaction.

The rage for gambling had not then cursed our land
as it does at present ; nor were its evils so generally felt
and experienced by thousands as at present. The mer-
chant or tourist, while travelling through the southern
and western portions of our country, pursuing his busi-
ness or pleasure, did not, as now, look upon every man
who proposed a game as an inveterate gamester; but
could sit down and take a game in comparative safety,
if, indeed, it can be said that there is any safety at all in
gaming, which I very much doubt ; for the card-table
has other evils attending it besides that of robbing your
pocket. What I mean is, that he was not besieged and
watched by a host of gamblers, who, like hungry tigers,
stood ready to spring upon their prey the first oppor-
tunity. I do not mean to say that we were ever without
gamblers ; for I believe they have, like other evil spirits,
stalked up and down the world in all ages, augmenting,
immeasurably, the crimes and wretchedness which it has
been the lot of this world to contain since the days of
our first parents. But this passion has prevailed at some
times to a far greater extent than at others ; and in some
parts of the country, it seems at times to be entirely
dead. There are, it seems to me, many causes which
have, for years, been tending to revive and spread this
evil over our country, and among these, and not the
least of these, is the general countenance that is given to

64 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used to Various Games. — Poker. — Reflections.

card-playing as a respectable amusement, at which it is
common to make some kind of a bet, to heighten the
interest of the game; and the encouragement thus
afforded, for a man to make himself a proficient in in-
trigue for base purposes; and then the facility with
which he can transport himself from one part of the
country to another, and thus obtain access to men who
will readily be enticed to amuse themselves at card-play-
ing. And I think the excitement attending horse-facing
has, perhaps, as great an influence in inclining a man to
bet, as any thing with which he can become acquainted.
In addition to the causes above enumerated, we may
mention the unexampled prosperity of our country a few
years since, and the abundance of money, which enabled
men to expend large sums in excursions of pleasure,
during which card-playing was the principal amusement
Taking these, and various other causes not here alluded
to, into consideration, I think there is no great reason to
be surprised that gaming has attained such an ascen-
dency in our country. Few need be told that within the
last twelve years, it has raged in its wildest fury in large
portions of this country ; and small, indeed, I believe the
portion to be, that was entirely free from its evils. And
the duty and importance of guarding against it increase
certainly in proportion to its spread and prevalence
through the country ; and at no former period, perhaps,
did this evil exist to a greater extent than it does now.
It is not the young only that need to be reformed and
forewarned : I have often seen men far advanced in
years, men whose furrowed cheeks and silvery locks
told that they might be grandsires, busily engaged over
the card-table, — men, some of whom were of high
standing and men of business, wno, in their daily inter-.

OP GAMBLING. 6ft

PuMpftoM uetf ta Variooa Games. -»Foher.—iU

— — — — ■ ^— — 1 ■ ■ M ■ I III 111 I .^ ^^^^^»^^— fc

course with their fellow-men, could not be impeached in
any respect I have seen such men in a room with
gamblers, condescending to practise the various mean
tricks resorted to by that class of persons with which
they suffer themselves to associate. And still they would
be caution*, in visiting and leaving such places, that no
one should see and suspect them, for it would hurt their
reputation, for which they often have much regard left ;
men, too, who, when away from home, will often do
what they would not at home. I have often known men
who would refrain from indulging themselves in a game
while among their friends, or if they did, it would be
nothing more than what is termed an innocent game of
whist, in their own parlor, on which no wager was
pending — I have seen such men, when away from home,
venture to play until they had lost thousands of dollars,
before they would quit,

I will here relate one of the many cases which have
come within my knowledge. A few years since, I was a
passenger on a boat ascending the Mississippi River, and
became acquainted with a gentleman, who was a mer-
chant from Philadelphia. He was a very intelligent
man, and a shrewd business man. He was on business,
south, via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. We got into
a friendly conversation, and he related to me many of
his adventures since leaving home, together with his
adventures in gaming, while a passenger up and down
the rivers just named, on different boats. He sai<|, " I
left Louisville on a boat for St. Louis, and had not been
long aboard before card-playing was introduced at dif-
ferent tables in the cabin ; and as far as I could see, all
engaged in it appeared to be genteel persons ; and at one
table there was one wanting to make the requisite num-

6*

66 ' ARTS. AND MISERIES

i - - - - i — * 1 »— i*«

Deceptions need in Various Gomes. — Poker. — Ad Incident.

— ^— — ■ — — — ^— ^ — ^— ■■ > i - i ■ ii —■■■■■ — i — ■ — ■■■ iiS»

ber A very genteel-looking young man very politely
asked me if I would not like to take a hand, as tbey

^were only killing time, by amusing themselves in that
way. And as there Were none of my old acquaintances
on board, and the sums which they bet were small, I
thought there was no great risk in sitting down and
taking a hand ; so I consented to do so, and we played
the most of the time on our way to St Louis ; and when
we got there, I was by that sport minus one hundred and
fifty dollars, by playing poker. This would not have
been the case from the sums bet, had it not been,, for the
extremely short duration of the games; by reason of
which the stakes were so very often removed, and as
often required to be again replaced. While in St. Louis,
completing my business, I saw nothing of this young
man during my stay. I finished my business there, and
took passage on a boat for Memphis. The boat had not
left the wharf more than fifteen minutes, before I espied,
among the passengers, this same young man, with whom
I had before played. He saw me nearly at the same
moment; a very polite recognition passed on his part,
and was returned by me. He approached, and a friendly '
conversation passed between us, and he left me. Now,
as usual, it was not long before the card-table was spread
out, and various of the passengers began to amuse them-
selves, and my new acquaintance was one of three at a
table; and as they wanted one more, I consented to
play, and we played until we arrived at Memphis, where
I got on another boat for Vicksburg ; and there I got up
from the table six hundred and seventy-five dollars loser,

• in addition to what I had before lost. My. business . now
called me to Yazoo city. I took a boat for that place,
and this same young man was also a passenger. t; We

OF GAMBLING. 6T

Deceptions need In Varion* Game*. — Poker.

again got into a game! and I lost three hundred dollars
more. And on my return to Vicksburg, this lucky gen-
tleman was a passenger on the same boat, and I lost
with him two hundred dollars more. After concluding
my business in Vicksburg, I left on the boat we are now
on, on my return home, (we were then a few miles above
Natchez,) and I have lost three hundred dollars more.
From the time of my first loss I did not refuse his invi-
tations to play ; partly because he was so genteel, and
partly because I had a hope of retrieving my losses ; and
I played, thinking that perhaps I should have a run of
good luck, and might get even again ; but I continued
td lose the whole time we played, though I could but
think it singular enough, that this young man should
happen to be upon every boat which I took passage on.
But he has, unfortunately for me, travelled the same
route as myself, and independent of my desire to get
even, the young man, by his conversation, his pleasant
humor and gayety, could so insinuate himself into one's
favor, that Satan himself could not get off from playing
with him."

During this narration, the merchant pointed out to me
the young man of whom he spoke, and I knew him to be
one of those genteel young gamblers, so abundant on the
Mississippi and its tributaries; and I knew precisely
how he had contrived to fleece this gentleman. This
patent young gentleman travelled the greater part of his
time, up and down those rivers, in company and in part-
nership with others like himself, for the very purpose of
falling in with moneyed men. He had got his eye on the
merchant, and they meant to make the most out of him
they could. When he tarried in a city, they also tarried,
and some of the company watched him, and put up at the

«MM*1

G8 ARTS AND MISERIES

• * J T ■ ■ ....-■.

Deceptions used ia Various Gome*. — Foker.

same house with him, by which means they all knew
when he was to leave that place, and they also left by
the same boat, and he knew not but that their meeting
so often was purely accidental. They also managed
their business so nicely, that this merchant, whose mind
Was far above intrigue, lost over sixteen hundred dollars
with them, without once suspecting them of being pro*
fessional gamblers. In the west and south, where this
class of men, in great numbers, travel much in steam-
boats, occasionally stopping a short time in the river
towns, it is common for them to go in the disguise of
business men ; frequently pretending they are on a trip
tip or down, as the case may be, as agents for some mer-
cantile house ; or that they are merchants, with freight
on board. These pretences are, of course, made to
those whom they wish to gull, as it cloaks their real
character, and is often of benefit to them; for a man
will seldom hesitate as much about taking a game with
one whom he believes to be an honest business man, as
with one whom he suspects of being a common gambler.
The two following cases, out of thousands I have
witnessed, will, I trust, serve to give an idea of the de-
spatch with which a gambler will strip his victim at this
short but dangerous game. I was on a steamboat as-
cending the Mississippi River : the evening was consider*
aWy advanced, and many of the passengers had retired,
and of those who had not, there were two gentlemen
quite advanced in years. They seemed to be fond of
pleasure and amusement, but they were not gamblers,
but only now and then took a game to kill time, in which
they made small, unimportant bets. They were not in a
mood for going to bed, and wished very much to get up
a game for amusement. They had tried among the pas-

OF GAMBLING. 09

Deceptions used hi Various Games. — Poker.

stagers that were up to make up a game, but could not
get their number. Some one told them that a young
man, who had just retired to his state-room, No. — , was
always ready for a game, and that he would, no doubt,
play. They immediately went to his room, and roused
him up, declaring that they were sent for him, and he
must play — that they would take no denial. And soon
they came out, bringing the young man with them, in-
tending to play only for amusement, and to bet just suffi-
cient to heighten the interest of the game. They all sat
down at play ; but unfortunately for these gentlemen,
this young man was an inveterate gambler, and only got
up because there was a probability of paying himself for
his trouble ; which, much to their surprise and mortifi-
cation, he did in less than half an hour, by winning
several hundred dollars of them ; and when they had no
more, he went to bed, and left them penniless, to amuse
themselves as best they could. They still sat for some
time running the cards over, and one said to the other,
" What do you think of the young man's playing t "
His only reply was, " I think we waked up the wrong
passenger." They had, indeed, caught a Tartar.

The second case of this kind, which I will relate, also
occurred on board of a steamboat on the western waters.
The loser was one of the lowest class of gamblers, and
was a low-bred, mean, blustering bully, who mostly
frequented race-courses, and other large gatherings,
where he played principally at chucker-luck, and other
out-door games, on which he seldom ventured more than
a bit at a time. He was extremely self-conceited, and
fancied he understood games as well as the best players.
Card-playing was soon introduced in the cabin, and he
sat down at play, and I noticed his taking many minor

70 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in Various Game*. — Poker.

advantages ; and he was, perhaps, as expert at cheating
as the most of his class of players, and was well calcu-
lated to win from the honest laborer and the less skilled at
play ; but he could by no means cope with the scientific
players, so plenty where he then was. And from his
penuriousness they took no notice of him, well knowing
the class to which he belonged, and that he had very
little, if any money at all — they let him pass as not
worthy of notice. For two days, the bets at the tables
where he played never overran -ten dollars ; still he had
managed so as to win one or two hundred dollars, and in
consequence, he became flushed, and was very noisy and
boasting. It was then, that one of those patent players
remarked, that he was now worthy of some notice, and
he would go and quiet him. He accordingly had a
card-table spread, and himself and four of his associates
sat down to a game of full deck poker, which is played
with the full pack of fifty-two cards. They invited our
blustering gentleman, whom I shall call Mr. Conse-
quence, to take a hand with them, which he only waited
an invitation to do; and the six were soon busily oc-
cupied ; but they could not get Mr. Consequence to bet
more than a bit " ante ; " and some four or five hands
were played, and it became the deal of the young gentle-
man who thought Mr. Consequence now worthy of notice;
this one I will call Mr. Winall. And after the necessary
preliminaries of shuffling, cutting, &c, he proceeded to
deal. Mr. Consequence sat immediately on his left, and
he proposed to him to go twenty-five cents blind, but this
he resolutely refused to do ; and he proceeded to deal,
until he had dealt all at the table three cards each. By
this time Mr. Consequence had slightly raised the edge
of his cards, and he saw that his hand promised to be a

Or GAMBLING. 71

Deceptions used hi Various Omj e s . — Poker.

very good one. Mr, Winall again said he bad better go
a quarter blitfd, that is, if he had not seen his cards,
which he protested he had not, though all knew better.
He now consented to put up the quarter blind, and did
sa The next was obliged to put up a half, the next one
dollar, the next two dollars, the fifth four dollars, and
Mr. Winall, the dealer, had to put up eight dollars, and
the deal was finished. As Mr. Consequence sat first on
the dealer's left, he had first to say whether he would go
thS blind or not ; he, with an air of great consequence,
answered, " Yes ; " and much to the surprise of all, he
added, " 1 will go a hundred besides/' It took him
fifteen dollars and seventy-fire cents to go the blind,
and his extra bet ma4e his share of the stake one hun-
dred and fifteen dollars and seventy-five cents, which was
all counted and put up by him. The other players all
bolted, except Mr. Winall, the dealer, who playfully re-
marked to him, " Mr. C, you are overbetting yourself,
are you not!" He, with the utmost dignity, replied,
"That is my business, if I am. 11 Mr. Winall then
pulled out his money, and put up one hundred dollars, to
equal Mr. Consequence's bet, and said, " I go you four
hundred dollars better," and counted- and put up that
amount. Mr. Consequence could not well afford to
make any more bets, and had to content himself with
calling him J he counted out four hundred dollars, and,
putting it up with a very consequential air, said, " I call
you." Mr. Winall asked what he had ; he replied,
" Four." • "i Of what size t " asked Mr. Winall. " I
have four fours," said he. " Ah, well," answered Mr.
Winall, " if that is all, they won't do." So saying, he
threw down his hand, which contained four fives, and at
the same instant he drew the money to him, and pocketed

*

72 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in Various Game*. — Poker.

it Mr. Consequence was surprised beyond measure)
and stared at Mr. Winall in great amazement. The
result was so utterly contrary to what he had expected,
and the amount was of so much importance to him, that
the loss came upon him like an electric shock, and from
that moment he seemed another man. He had been
busy for three days, and with what he had brought on
board, and what he had won, he had, when he sat down
at play, over five hundred dollars, and had lost the whole
of it on one hand at poker. This was, indeed, no tri-
fling damper to his dignity, and he was most effectually
silenced for the remainder of the passage.

Mr. Win all's success in this, as in other cases, de*
pended on his superior knowledge of intrigue, and his
adroitness in putting it in practice. Mr. Consequence
frequently talked as though no man could cheat him;
but he was greatly deceived by this very young man, who
had been playing only a short time, but had acquired
such adroitness as enabled him to cope with the best of
players. His anxiety for Mr. C. to go a quarter blind,
was to compel him to bet largely, if at all ; for he could
not be considered as having any interest in that game,
until he had put up the fifteen dollars and seventy-five
cents. And the way in which he gave Mr. Consequence
a good betting hand, and himself a better one, was this :
he had eight cards in his lap, that is, four fours and four
fives ; these cards, when it became his deal, he dexterously
placed under the bottom of the pack, and so skilfully
dealt them from there, that it could not be perceived ; he
getting the fives, and C. the fours, of course. He knew
perfectly well what C. had, and was sure of beating him;
the other players were supplied from the top of the pack,
as usual.

OF GAMBLING. 73

Deceptions used in Various. Games. — Poker.

Cheating in various Wats.

The methods of cheating at poker are so very numer-
ous, that I do not think it requisite that 1 should give an
account of the whole of them ; but will give only a few
examples in this place, which I hope will abundantly
suffice.

Frequently, while playing four-handed, many very
large betting hands are dealt out, and the players will bet
freely on them ; but in such cases, the dealer, or some
one else at the table, who is a secret partner of his, will
have a better hand, and win. — These hands are put out
by stocking, in various ways, some few of which I will
explain. One, when it comes to be his deal, will pur-
posely disarrange the cards, so that he may have a pre-
tence for turning the cards face up. He will then place
four aces at the bottom, and four kings at the top. He
will then turn the backs up, and shuffle them by drawing
the top and bottom cards together from the pack, and
throwing them in a heap on the table. He will go
through the. pack in this way twice ; then, if the right-
hand man if his secret partner, he will most probably not
cut them ; and if he should cut them, he will cut four,
eight, twelve, or sixteen ; they are then dealt, and will
come out in fours. The man opposite the dealer will
get a great betting hand, that is, four kings, while the
dealer will get four aces, and win all that is bet on that
game.

Sometimes they are stocked in the following manner :
the tens, jacks, queens, and kings, are assorted, and all of
a kind put together, and the four aces on the top. The
dealer will then hold them in his left hand, slip them off

7

74 ARTS AND MISERIES

Dece pti on* tiiied in Various Games. — Poker.

into his right hand, running them over and under, first
on the top, and then under the bottom, until he has run
off sixteen. He will then put the sixteen on the top of
the remaining four in his left hand, and repeat this
again ; and the third time he will run off eighteen, and
then place the odd two under the eighteen. His secret
partner will then not cut at all, or cut four, eight, twelve,
or sixteen : they are then dealt, and each player gets a
splendid betting hand; that is, one has four jacks,
another four queens, and one four kings ; but the dealer
has four aces, and will beat them all. These examples
are in four-handed poker.

The following is in what is called thru-handed poker.
The dealer will have the cards assorted as in the last
example, and will place four kings or queens on the top of
the four aces, and these eight will be on the top of all
the rest He will then couple them top and bottom, as
in the last example, until he has run off twelve. This
he will do three times, and one will cut them. He will
then slip the cut on top again, and deal them. One of
the players will get four queens, another four kings, and
the dealer fbur aces. Of course, there will be high
betting when such hands are out, but the dealer wins,
cheating in the manner just described. Or the dealer, if
his right-hand man is his secret partner against the other,
may, the third time he is coupling the cards, preparatory
to dealing them, couple off eighteen, and then the one on
his right will cut but two cards, which will bring them
the same as before.

The same cheat is practised in playing two-handed, as
follows: — the dealer will take any four of a kind, and
place them on the top of the pack; having placed a
smaller four immediately under the fbur on top, he

OF GAMBLING. 75

Doceptioan aaed ia Vaiioo* Qmmm. — Poker

will then couple them top and bottom, as before, until
he has runoff eight: this he will do three times, and
let them be cut, and the cut he will slip on the top, and
proceed to deal them, giving his adversary the smaller
four, while he gets the larger four, and is prepared to
beat him.

From what has been already said, it must be ? ery
evident that no man is secure from the artifice of the
gambler; so long as he will play at all, he may rest
assured that he will, in the end, come out loser ; for the
methods of cheating are almost innumerable : a large
octavo volume would not contain a full description of
them ail, and of course, in this work, I can only give
a few oT them, that may serve as a specimen. A ma-
jority of gamblers have arrived at such perfection in the
art of dealing, that they will deal the second card from
the top instead of the top card, and will go all through
the pack in that manner ; and you may look directly at
them, and will not be able to detect the cheat. They
will, at other times, have a hand which they have stolen
out, and will smuggle it under the bottom ; then, in the
course of dealing, they will deal this hand just where
they please, and defy you to discover their dealing from
the bottom. A gambler will often deal himself six or
seven cards, when he should have but five, and if he
can make a good hand, by laying out the two poorest in
his lap, be will do so ; or if he cannot make a good
hand, he will take the two best to help him in his next
hand. This cheat is very often practised.

I will here relate a case which occurred on a steam-
boat not long since, as going to show how well men will
play more than their number. A gambler got to playing
with a man whom he mistook for a green Hoosier, that

76 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in Various Games. — Poker. — A Tartar.

knew nothing of playing scientifically. But he was sadly
deceived. The gambler, from the beginning, played
somewhat carelessly, supposing that it needed no science
to beat the Hoosier , but the gambler lost, and com-
menced playing as scientifically as he could. He still lost,
and finally lost nearly all he had, before he quit; and
after quitting, they went to the bar to drink. The
gambler said to the Hoosier, "You beat any man for
luck I ever played with. I've lost my money with you,
and it makes no difference : I will be honest with you ;
you did not know it, but I played six cards all the time,
and your luck beat it." "Well," said the Hoosier,
" since you have been so frank, I will also be frank ; I
have played seven cards all the way through, from the
word go; besides stocking and palming occasionally,
for the sake of variety/' The gambler was greatly
surprised, and swore that he would not have supposed
that he much more than knew one card from another;
but he was deceived in the man, and it would not
have done for him to have shown any anger, as he
first confessed having cheated the Hoosier, who was in
reality a most expert gambler, who had purposely as-
sumed that disguise.

Again, gamblers, for mutual advantage, generally
travel in small companies, and in secret partnership. I
have again adverted to this, in order to mention one of
the ways in which they often turn their partnership to
good account. They almost invariably feign to be total
strangers to each other, the better to carry out their base
designs ; and when one or two of them are seated at a
table at play with some whom they calculate to fleece,
some one of the company, who will seem to be a total
stranger to every body, will seat himself in sight of a

OF GAMBLING. 77

Deceptions used in Various Came*. — Poker.

man's hand, who is at play, and is not one of the con-
federates; and if he shows, by word or act, that he would
rather he would not/ he will readily protest that his only
motive is the gratification of an idle curiosity; that
he scarcely knows one card from another. And very
probably, after such protestations from one who appears
a stranger, and, withal, an honest gentleman, he is
suffered to continue to look into the player's hand. If
he should be asked to play, he will say, " I cannot, as I
have never learned ; indeed, I scarcely know the cards."
He will take this course in order that his looking into
the hands^of the players may not be objected to. And
his motive in looking into the hands is to give his secret
partners signs. This he will do in various ways. I have
known men who would give signs, that were perfectly
intelligible, by the different manner in which they would
blow their cigar smoke. And in order to evade sus-
picion, I have also known signs to be conveyed through
two and three different persons, who were secret partners
of the players, and were sitting in different parts of the
same room ; and the signs would always reach the player
in time to benefit him. This is often done when there
is danger of being detected, if he should look at the man
who is looking in the other's hand for his signs. Nor is
it a matter of importance whether there is a room full or
not ; for they will practise these artifices before a room
full as soon as if there was a very small number of
persons present.

At other times, when a man has lost much, one of the
company will go to him and form an acquaintance, if it
does not already exist, and will say to him, " You are
much the loser with A or B, and I am acquainted with
him, and if you will in confidence accept the offer, I will

7*

78 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used In Various Games. — Poker.

do you a favor, by which yon will stand a chance, of
getting your money back again. Do you engage with
him in play, and I will sit back of him, and give you
correct signs from his hand, so that you can know how
to govern your bets." Nothing appears more generous
than this ; and a man is apt to be eager to avail himself
of any means that promise to restore him his lost money,
and will feel highly elated that he has met with an
unexpected friend, and will flatter himself with the idea
of winning all the man has ; feeling that, if his pretended
friend should succeed in giving him correct signs one
hand out of four, it will be sufficient to enable him to
win much from him. This is all the basest deception.
The man proposing this mode of playing is a secret
partner of the winner, and their design is to swindle the
man still further. Both are fully apprized of the plan ;
and when they succeed in getting the loser to play again,
(they generally have cards which they know as well by the
backs as by the faces,) if the winner should have a large
hand, and the loser a larger one, he (the winner) will
bunch his cards so closely that the one behind cannot
see to give signs, and he then suffers himself to be run
off. And if you should have one or two pairs, (which he
will know by the backs,) and he should get the same,
though a little larger, he will then permit the, man to
give signs, that he has only one or two pairs, as The case
may be, and all that he can entice the loser to bet r he will
win from him. The gambler, under these circumstances,
will seldom " bluff," only when his hand is better ; and,
frequently, in order to set his victim to bluffing, he will,
by stocking, palming, &c, deal him three aces and a
pair of kings, while he himself gets four tens or jacks.
If a man will bejj largely and bluff, he will do it on such

...

OP GAMBLING. ^ W

Deceptions used in Various Gdmev — Mercantile Gamblers.

■ ■ ■ ■ m

a hand ; and the gambler, by this artifice,, will frequently
ruin a man in a few games.

Gambling with cards is carried od in many large cities
under various covers. There are many establishments
which, in front, seem to be doing a lawful business ; but
the rear and upper stories are extensive gambling es-
tablishments. The principal cover, or that which is
used more than any other, is the sign of " Coffee-house/'
or licensed groggery, the majority of which I look upon
as being the greatest fountains of sin and wretchedness
that curse our land. A great number of these doers of
iniquity are well furnished with the various implements
of gambling, together with a plentiful supply of that
liquid poison, which civilization and refinement have
every where introduced to steal away the mind and ruin
the soul. This powerful auxiliary of vice is seldom
dispensed with. In these vile haunts, " tlirds of a feather
flock together ; " here, shut up from every human eye,
(except such as they can seduce into gaming,) they pursue
their nefarious calling to the ignominy of thousands, who
oftentimes have not the remotest idea of what has ruined
them. The wife, the children, the unsuspecting and
helpless ward, are all made to feel the misery flowing
from this source, without knowing, or even suspecting,
from whence it comes.

I have also known men, who were apparently engaged
in commercial business, whose stores were, in the upper
apartments, extensive gambling establishments. These
men will invite persons to call at their store or place of
business, saying that they have there a very nice room,
very retired, and secure from all intrusion, where their
friends can come and enjoy themselves m quiet, and
plenty of choice wines with which to regale themselves

80 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in Various Cameo. — Spring Tables.

J^^ii— — ^» ■■ I ■ — I ■■-■ I lM I — ^— ^— ^— ■ ■■ ■ ■ ■ |

but of those who go to such places, none ever come out
winners* In New Orleans I became acquainted with a
merchant, who had in his store such a room. He had a
great number to play with him* and all of them contin-
ually lost Men who were professed gamblers here found
their tricks and artifices set at nought, and themselves
losing at every trial. They became dissatisfied, and sus-
pected some extraordinary trick being used. They
combined, for the purpose of ascertaining, and soon
learned, from some person in his employment, the whole
secret His table was constructed with a hollow leg,
and in that leg, where the knee would rest against it,
was fixed a small peg, which would strike against his
knee on a small wire's being pulled, which was attached
to the peg, and passed out at the bottom of the leg, and
under the floor to the side of the room, thence up stairs,
directly over tile table. And from the centre of a fine
moulding in plaster hung a rich lamp; the moulding
was hollow, and so constructed that a man, who was a
secret partner, could be overhead, and see into the hands
below, and give his partner signs from above, previously
agreed upon, by pulling the wire. This advantage was
sufficient to ruin any man who played with him, and
enabled him to make money faster than he would be apt
to do in the common course of mercantile business;
which, in fact, he cared nothing about, only as a cover
for bis gambling. This man's establishment was broken
up, and he fled.

In other establishments, I have seen what are called
spring tables. These tables enable a man to play an
undue number of cards quite secure from detection.
There is in the table a crack or split, which seems to be
from a defect in the wood. The whole bottom of the

OP GAMBLING. 81

Deceptions used in Varlotu Game*. — Pulley*.

ttble is boxed up, as if it had a drawer, and the inside is
so fixed, that a card let down into this crack will stand
upright. The player can at any time push it up by
means of a peg, which projects a little from the bottom
of the table, using his knee for the purpose. This
enables the player to keep cards in reserve, as well as to
deal himself more than his number, and hide the poorest.
There is another cheat, commonly called the pulleys,
very similar to the first table described ; but the table
itself is without any machinery. A man takes his stand
overhead, and has a string that passes down the wall and
under the player's foot, under which is a peg, which
strikes the bottom of his foot whenever the string is
pulled. Among the many cases of this kind that I have
known is the following, which I think worthy of inser-
tion, MB showing the industry one gambler will use in
order to defeat another. — A small company of gamblers
had prepared a room and table in this way, by which
they were very successful in fleecing the old as well as
the young player. They continued to practise their
wicked- artifice in this room for some time, until they
enticed a couple to their room, whom they supposed to
be " suckers ; " an epithet applied to those who are un-
acquainted with the tricks of gambling, and are conse-
quently easily fleeced. One of these was a remarkably
spare-made man, and they called him Perch. They
played and beat Perch out of his money. This he could
not account for, as he was a smart gambler, except on
the supposition that pulleys were used. He accordingly
set his wits to work to contrive a plan by which he
might be equal with them. And as the table was in a
lower room, he was sanguine of success. On a favor-
able opportunity, he went to the house, and pressed off

82 ART8 AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in Varkxu Games. — Poker

an outside board opposite to the table, and saw the
string; this at once determined him what to do. At
night he placed his partner outside, with instructions to
intercept all signs by holding the cord, while he went
inside and engaged in play. And soon Perch got a very
fine betting hand ; and the winner, who was depending
on the customary sign, not receiving it, supposed that
Perch's hand was good for nothing, and he bet freely
until the stakes were several hundred dollars. The man
overhead seeing him about to lose their money, pulled
with all his might, but the sign did not reach his partner
below, who presently " called " Perch, and lost By this
means Perch was enabled to get some hundred or two
dollars winner, and made good bis retreat without his
plan being discovered. By this discovery which Perch
had made, the house was broken up, and the gambler
was frequently tantalized by his acquaintance, who
would say to him, that he had been fishing for suckers,
but instead, had caught a Perch, that ran off with the
bak.

I am now about to close what I have to say upon this
game, (poker,) and I hope the reader will not entertain
a doubt but that the greatest villany and rascality attend
not only this, but every other game, when played for a
wager; that none are safe: the oldest and most adroit
gamblers are frequently without a dollar to their names.
A man who becomes a gambler, becomes a wanderer
through the world, without a settled home, without
respectability or real friends; a sort of highwayman*
whose hand is against every man who possesses money ;
a complete drone, who never dreams of living honestly,
but by filching from the producer that which he procured
by honest and persevering toil.

#T GAMBLING*. 89

Deeeptiont and in Varioaf CtaflM£~An Inddeift.

-■■■--- *'

An Incident showing the ruinous effects 09

the Game of Poker.

The incident which I will now relate, will, I think,
not only be found to be an interesting one, but one
which, if properly considered, will go very far towards
showing the evil consequences of gambling, not in the
game of poker alone, but in all others. Some time in
die year 1835, in the city of New Orleans, there hap-
pened at one of its haunts of gambling, several of that 4
unfortunate class of men who are addicted to that vice ;
and having large amounts of money in their possession,
there was a proposition that five of the most moneyed men
among them should sit at play until their money was
exhausted. The five began, and played on, under the
influence of great excitement, for some thirty hours,
when two of the party quit, either for the want of money
or strength. The other three continued some fifteen
hours longer, when one of them had to quit also. The
other two played on about ten hours more, when one of
diem dropped to sleep, and this broke up the game. But
next came the dreadful consequences of this rash and
wicked undertaking. One of this party lived, when at
home, somewhere eastward ; another lived in Alex-
andria, on Red River; a third lived in Cincinnati; a
fourth in, or near, Covington, Ky. ; and the fifth near
Lawrenceburg, la. ; and this last is the only one that
now survives of that unfortunate party. The eastern
man was, from the time of this desperate act, afflicted,
and died of disease of the lungs in *37 or '38. The one
from Alexandria survived, I think, until the year '39
or 9 40. The one from Covington became, from that

84 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions and in Various Games. — An Incident.

time, the subject of sore affliction, and lingered along
until the year '42, when he died, having suffered more
than it is in the power of language to describe. Not-
withstanding his great and almost incessant sufferings,
he still clung to this ruinous vice ; but when a long and
severe pain would strike him, he would, in the most
agonizing manner, call upon God to release him, but as
soon as he would become easy, his passion for play
would return with all its accustomed force; and thus
did he live, and sin, and suffer, for more than seven
years, two years of which time he never enjoyed a single
day's peace; and many a time, during the last three
years of his life, have I heard him say, that his mortal
affliction was brought upon him by the reckless act
above detailed. When he found, at last, that there was
no alternative, but that die he must, he broke off from
the gaming table, and his former associates, and sought
refuge from his mental and bodily sufferings in the conso-
lations of religion, and shortly after, to all appearances,
he died a sincere convert to Christianity, and was buried
in the. Methodist grave-yard, near Covington. Thus
ended the life of this unfortunate man, whom nature had
qualified for a sphere of honor and usefulness. Had the
powers of mind with which he was endowed been culti-
vated, and had lie not been drawn into the society of
gamblers, he might have been an ornament and a bless-
ing to his country ; for there were few men to be met
with, whose physical and intellectual abilities, as far as
nature is concerned, might be regarded as superior to
his. The fourth one of these men died in Cincinnati,
in the year 1842. This young man belonged to one of
the most respectable families of that city ; but, in an.
evil hour, was seduced by designing and unprincipled

OP GAMBLING. 8*

Deceptions used in Various Game*.— An Incktent.

men into the society and habits of professional gamblers,
bidding adieu, at the same time, to those high moral and
religious principles that had with great care been in-
stilled into his mind by his intelligent and pious parents,
and becoming an avowed skeptic. But then, notwith-
standing his want of reverence to his Maker, there ap-
peared to be some redeeming traits in his character, and
particularly his filial attachment to his mother, who, to
his credit be it spoken, was always uppermost in his
thoughts and affections. I have frequently known this
youth, when he would be fortunate, and have plenty of
money, and others around him would be speaking of
their success, and saying what they would give for this
piece of property, or that, or lavish their winnings in
idle amusements, — on such occasions he would say,
" Well, boys, I would give one half of all I have to-day
to see my mother ; and all of it, if she did not know that
I gamble ; and every thing that I ever possessed on earth,
if I had never learned this detestable vice," although he
was one of the most skilful and adroit players I ever
knew, and was beloved by all that profession to which
he had unhappily become attached. But whenever this
base class of men find out a youth of so noble and in-
genuous a nature, they take extraordinary pains to lay
the net for him, and ere he is aware, they have him so
entangled in it, that when he would fain extricate him-
self, he finds the web made fast, anil he has to remain,
and he finds himself almost compelled to persevere in
this vile business ; and thus was this fine young man for-
ever blasted. After this game in '35, his health failed
him by degrees, and he continued to decline until '42.
When he found there was no chance for him to recover,
be returned to Cincinnati, to his long-neglected parents.

8

£6 ARTS AND MISERIES

*~* Deeeptams used in Various Games. — An Incident.

On his return to the city, I visited him ; he convened
with me freely upon different subjects, and finally asked
me what I thought of his disease ? I told him, as far as
I could judge, I did not think there was much chance
for his recovery. I then asked him what he thought of
it. He said he knew that he was not long for this
world. I then asked him' if he had employed a physi-
cian? he said not; and to his question, whether I
thought there was a physician in the city that could do
him any good, I replied in the affirmative. He then
said that I might send him. I immediately went for a
Dr. L., a Methodist minister. The doctor, on examining
him, told him that he would not promise to cure him,
but that perhaps he might be able to get him on his feet
again. When the doctor was taking his leave, he told
the young man's mother that her son, he was strongly
inclined to think, was not long for this world, and he
thought that she would do well to talk to him on the
subject of religion. The mother immediately went to
see him, with her Bible, and asked permission to read to
him a chapter in that holy book, which he assented to.
Shortly after his mother had ceased reading, be was
thrown into a dreadful convulsion, from which his
parents and family thought he would never recover. He
survived it, however, and though he appeared very lan-
guid, he seemed entirely tranquil and composed. He
told his mother that he felt that he was a converted man,
and that the struggle she had just witnessed was caused
by his mental anguish for the salvation of his soul. He
likewise told her that he would not suffer any more : and
such was the fact, for in a short time he gently fell
asleep in the arms of death. Thus ended the life of a
poor, unfortunate, but interesting young man, who bad.

OF GAMBLING. 87

MtecelUneoas Example*. — Shocking Effects of GwfcUaf.

for years been addicted to the dreadful sin of gambling,
and who was one of four, out of five, who, as we have
related, were brought to a premature grave by the fasci-
nating game of poker. One other still survives, and is
yet pursuing the odious practice of gaining ; and most
sincerely do I desire that, ere it is too late, he may take
into serious consideration the many risks he is running
of not being so fortunate at the last two mentioned in
this narrative ; (for as I have never learned the partic-
ulars of the death of the two first, I cannot give any in-
formation of their last days that would be definite or
satisfactory,) but I can assure the reader, that while
there is one who becomes addicted to this vile practice,
that ever after becomes religious, there are hundreds that
pass out of the world without the least evidence of any
preparation for that solemn and important change. And
surely this fact should operate as a timely and a salutary
warning to all who are enslaved by this vice, to lose no
time in breaking the fetters by which they are bound,
that they may be restored to the ranks of usefulness and
respectability here, and be prepared for entering, as they
should, upon the realities of that " undiscovered country "
to which we are all so rapidly tending.

MISCELLANEOUS EXAIPLE8 OF THE SHOCKING EFFECTS

OF GAMBLING.

In the year 1832, a difficulty took place between two
men of this class in Huntsville, Alabama. After a few
words of altercation had passed between them, one at-

68 ARTS AND MISERIES

Miscellaneous Examples. — Shocking Effects of Gambling.

tempted to raise a chair at the other, when his antagonist
drew a pistol, and shot him through, which closed his
mortal career in the course of a few hours. The one
that was murdered was a man of family, and more gen-
erally respected than most persons of this class ; and had
justice been allowed to prevail, there is no doubt but
that the murderer would have been punished as he
deserves to be. But I believe he was either acquitted,
or at most only fined a few dollars. You might hear
men speaking of this atrocious deed, and so far from
condemning it, their opinions would all be in favor of
the bloody-minded perpetrator. And then inquire what
men they were who were talking in this manner, and
you would soon find that they were of that base class of
men to whom the murderer himself belonged ; and these
were the only men that dared to speak on the subject,
under the penalty of being caned or cowhided, and if
they should resent it, to be shot down like a dog. This
was the situation of that place at that time. These des-
perate characters stood ready, and set the law at utter
defiance. The perpetrator of this foul deed had always
stood at the head of the list of villains of this grade.
The murder of this poor man did not appear to disturb
the feelings of this desperado in the slightest degree.
He was number one in this class of men, and with his
associates this act made no kind of difference, unless it
was to make him an object of more importance in their
eyes. He was taken by the arm by our representatives,
and escorted by our senators of this class, from that day
until within the last year, during which time he was
known to shoot some two or three other men. Whether
the shots proved fatal or not I cannot say ; still our hero
was not harmed, and it would have been a dreadful

OF GAMBLING. 80

M iMoUMMous Examples. — Shocking Rflf ^t r of flfMing

affair to have said any thing against a man who achieved
such wonderful deeds of valor, and a gentleman sports-
man. But still it seemed inevitable that this villain, like
thousands of others, should have a fall. One foul act
followed another, until this gentleman sportsman kills
one of his servants. Here the law took hold of him ; he
is tried by the laws of Louisiana, and is sent to the pen-*
itentiary for four years. This act I know nothing about
except what I had from others ; but many of the acts of
bis former life I witnessed myself. This man has twice
committed murder, and other deeds too shameful to
relate by any writer that has respect for the feelings of
bis readers, unless it would be to show the community
how much the people are imposed upon by this base
class of men. And if this is the true character of this in-
dividual, who is still comparatively young, — about thirty-
eight years of age perhaps, — will he not be a hopeful sub-
ject indeed, to let loose upon society after having served
out his four years in the state prison? Is there any
reason to hope he will ever become a good citizen, or,
indeed, that he will ever be any thing else than a scourge
and a curse to society? I answer, No. Some may
probably say that they place no dependence in these
statements; if they do not, I would refer them to the
citizens of Natchez, and Hunfsville, Alabama, and they
will find out much more perhaps than this sketch con-
tains, as I did not aim at giving the reader a full history
of this individual's life.

8»

90 ARTS AND MISERIES

MisceUftaeoas Examples. — Shocking Effects of Gambling.

Horrible Death of a Gambler at Columbus, .

Mississippi.

The second .example that I shall introduce to the
notice of the reader is the following : — There lived near
Huntsville, Alabama, a man of considerable note, both
in the class of gamblers and in the respectable walk of
society. Not merely as a sportsman was this man noted,
but as being one of the shrewdest men to be met with on
subjects generally. He possessed extraordinary powers,
both physical and mental, and might have done honor to
any situation in which he might have been placed. This
gentleman had an only son, a youth of remarkable spright-
liness and promise ; and had he taken that interest in the
improvement of his mind and the preservation of his
morals that he should and might have done, I doubt
whether he would have been surpassed by any for emi-
nence and usefulness. But unfortunately for him, as it
has been for many of similar promise, he had formed an
attachment for the vice of gambling. I think it was as
early as his fourteenth year that he imbibed a passion for
gaming ; and whenever a youth becomes a votary of this
pursuit at that age, it is seldom indeed that he is ever
reclaimed ; not but that his reformation might be effected
if his parents are opposed to it, and exert their influence,
authority, and example, to save him ; but, unhappily, this
was not the case with this unfortunate youth. His father
saw the brink on which he stood, but being in the same
predicament himself, his advice could have had but little
influence, while his example was constantly inculcating
a different lesson. This youth appeared to entertain a
great respect for his father and mother ; they seemed to

01* GAMBLING. 01

MiBeeDaneoas Examples. — Shocking Effects of GtmMtof .

be his idols, and this attachment was strongly recipro-
cated ; for he was the idol of both of them. The father
and son could never bear to be separate. Was the
father so unfortunate as to get into a difficulty, the son
was always at hand to sustain him, and if the son got
into trouble of any kind, the father was always ready to
defend, protect, and extricate him. They were both
involved in difficulties of the most serious and desperate
kind, and frequently they, as well as their opponents,
would come off very badly hurt, besides often having to
pay large sums of money for their rash and violent pro-
ceedings. This dreadful life they lived for several years,
which gave great pain to the mother of this youth ; who
would often, with care and anxiety deeply marked upon
her brow, await their return when they were absent on
excursions of this nature for many months together ; and
none but a mother can tell how to sympathize with her
during these seasons of agonizing suspense. True, she
had every convenience about her house she could wish
for ; but all this, so far from affording her comfort, only
served to enhance her wretchedness, while she reflected
on the disgraceful and desperate calling to which her
husband and son were addicted, and to all appearance
irreclaimably addicted.

Time rolled on, and still they carried on their deeds
of shame and darkness. Finally the time came when
all their hopes were superseded by darkness and despair,
-—the son, the idol of his parents, was brought to a
premature grave. He became attached to a young lady
of respectable parents, but poor. His father was opposed
to the union, which he saw was likely to take place; this,
however, did not deter him, for they were shortly after-
wards married. Though his father was much displeased

92 ARTS AND MISERIES

Miscellaneous Examples. — Shocking Effects of fiawMing.

at his disobedience in this matter, such was his devoted
attachment to his son, that he soon became reconciled to
him.; and he and his son still continued to pursue* their
disgraceful calling.

Some time in the spring of 1836, 1 think it was, this
youth and his father were at the races, which, as well as
I remember, were near Columbus, Mississippi, the young
man having taken his wife and infant child to this scene
of amusement On that day there was a very interesting
race to be run, and this young man and his father were
on the fortunate side, as was usual for them to be. I
will here remark, that this youth had become somewhat
changed as to his former desperate character, occasioned,
no doubt, chiefly by his having become a husband and a
father; and, on this day, he had gone to the race-course,
contrary to his usual custom, without his weapons.
Some time previous, he had a difficulty with some phy-
sician, in which he came very near losing his life.
They, however, made up, and on the day of the race, the
physician waited on this youth, as I am informed, and
conversed with him about the day's racing, and learned
that he had not brought his weapons with him to the
race-course. Finally, he told this young man that he
was well aware that he had many enemies, and that <he
knew that if he and his father should get into difficulty,
he would need his weapons, and then pulled out his, and
told him to take them. This he did. In a short time
the horses started, and during the first heat, the race was
very exciting, and this youth and his father were for the
fastest horse, and betting very high. When the horses
ran the deciding heat, they found that, either by the de-
ception of the trainer or the rider, they lost. This
young #man became highly excited, and commenced

OF GAMBLING. 93

Mtwwi>imwin Examples. — Shocking Effect* of GmMtef .

chastising the trainer ; he was requested to desist from it
by the proprietor of the race-track, to which he paid hut
little attention. The proprietor, at length, made an at-
tempt to force him to behave himself, by telling him that
he most not make any disturbance on that ground, as
there were many ladies present, witnessing the amuse-
ments of the day. With this the young man drew 'his
pistol, and held it up to the head of the proprietor, and
told him to draw and defend himself. The proprietor
replied that he was not armed ; but immediately at the
back of the young man stood a friend of his, who drew a
pistol and snapped it at the proprietor, which caused the
young man to turn his head to see if it was one of his en-
emies ; and as soon as he turned, the proprietor stabbed
him with a small bowie-knife, cutting the lower part
of the heart The proprietor then started to catch the
man that had snapped the pistol, and as he turned, the
youth, although dying, ran some fifteen steps, and
snapped his pistol at him, falling dead at the same in-
stant, with scarce a groan. The father, at this time, was
on another part of the track, and did not reach his son
until he was dead. Notwithstanding the hardened and
desperate character borne by the most of those around,
they showed great sympathy for his wife, when she was
called to witness the corpse of her unfortunate husband.
And then, what must have been the feelings of that
mother, who had always doted on this son, when she
saw the hearse drive up to the door, with the body of him
whom she held so dear ! When the father came up to
the scene of death, he was so overwhelmed with grief
that he became quite frantic ; but knowing that his own
situation was a perilous one, he became somewhat com-
posed, from the necessity he felt of attending to his own

94 ARTS AND MISERIES

MiKeUaneoaf Example*. — Shocking Effects of Ctanbitag.

personal safety. And when he came to examine the
pistol, he found that it had no load in it, and this gave
him satisfactory evidence that his son's blood had been
sought for on that day by the individual who had insisted
on his son's using his weapons, intending, no doubt, to
have him assassinated on that day, either by the person
who perpetrated the act, or by some other, as the pistol
was evidently uncharged; such advantages being fre-
quently taken of one another by men of this class. This
incident was suffered to pass off unnoticed, as the man
that killed him was, in the eyes of the law, justifiable.
Instances of a similar kind are not of unfrequent oc-
currence: and how deeply is it to be regretted, that such
a state of society should still exist, and be encouraged,
too, by many who never knew that such shocking deeds
are more liable to be committed at such places, and on
such occasions, than on any others. But let me tell you,
that when this class of men have become thoroughly
initiated into the arts and villanies of their profession,
they will desperately rush on from one enormity to
another, until the catalogue of their crimes is made to
end in murder itself; and a man of this class can have no
higher recommendation, in the eyes of his associates in
villany, than to have it said and recorded, that he was
guilty of murder, and has been acquitted by the ingeni-
ous but rascally devices of his blood-stained companions
in crime.

Murder and Suicide in New Orleans.

In the years 1831, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the family referred
to in the following narrative resided in the parish of

OF GAMBLING. 05

Mtofmilinnoii g»«wpi«« - — . ah^fcWg Effects of ffliMMJiy

West Feliciana, Louisiana. The family consisted of a
widow lady and four children — two boys and two girls.
These boys, from their good circumstances, and com-
paratively unprotected condition, were marked out for
their prey by some of the gambling fraternity, almost
from their infancy. Their father left ample means for
educating them as gentlemen, and of supporting them in
a genteel manner, with care, should they live to old age.
They were not only born to affluence, but their natural
endowments, both of person and of mind, were of the
highest order. Many were the snares that were soon
laid for them by that base class of men called gamblers ;
and, sad to tell, their efforts were but too successful, as the
sequel will show. Those who first beset them, in order
to compass their ruin, thought that the most ready
method to accomplish their object, would be by means
of those twin sisters, intemperance and debauchery.
These young men soon became dissipated in their
habits; and ere they suspected any danger, perhaps,
they were almost inextricably entangled in the web
which those unprincipled men had thrown around them.
These two young men visited New Orleans every winter
to sell their crops of cotton ; and while there, they were
always waited on by this vile class of men, without their
ever dreaming that they were actuated by any other than
friendly and honest motives. There was also a gentle-
man of the first class who was in the habit of waiting on
these young men, and soliciting their company ; but they
soon became so much infatuated with those of the other
class, that they would forsake all others, and cleave to
them. All this time, these youths, as they may be
termed, did not suspect this band of desperate men of
any thing that would be considered unworthy of the

06 ARTS AND MISERIES

MtwwHaiMWM Example*. — Shocking Effects of GsmMtaf .

most generous, high-minded young men of the country,
such as they considered themselves to be ; for neither of
them would stoop to any act that would be regarded as
dishonorable by the most respectable portion of society.
It was not long, however, before they were induced by
these desperate villains to visit gambling-houses, and
other places of infamous character, so that by various
means they succeeded in swindling them for several years
out of the whole of their income. It finally came to
such a pass, that they would scarcely enter the city be-
fore they were assailed by this class of men, and not
only these young men, but many others of their ac-
quaintances, fell victims to the schemes that were con-
stantly put in practice to seduce' and ruin them. At
length they became so prominent in those bad practices
into which they had been decoyed, that they themselves
became reckless of their characters, supposing that their
wealth and respectable position in society would be suffi-
cient to sustain and carry them through. At times, how-
ever, their hearts would relent, when they would think
of the anguish of spirit which their downward course was
inflicting upon their aged mother, and upon their affec-
tionate, confiding sisters, who looked upon them as their
only earthly protectors. They saw and deeply lamented
the situation those two sons and brothers were placed in,
and could daily hear of difficulties they were getting into,
which gave them incessant and great anxiety for their
personal safety, and even for their lives. Year after year
rolled away in this manner, until in the year 1835, 1 think
it was, these two young men visited the city of New
Orleans, as usual. They had scarcely arrived in the city
before their heartless tormentors met them, according to
custom, and in a short time stripped them of their *U.

OF GAMBLING. 97

SttraUueous Examples.— Shocking Effects of GaahHaf.

For several days they were greatly excited by their lots.
At length, some planters and merchants visited the city
from the same parish in which they resided, and these
young men, being acquainted and favorites with these
respectable visitors, were invited by them to a wine
party ; and after dinner was over, they sat at their wine
until evening, when all of them, being highly stimulated,
started out to scour through the city. They finally came
to Bank's Arcade, where they "cut up very high."
During this time, those two young men became very dis-
agreeable, and the elder, I think, of the two, filled the
hat of one of the party with spirits and set it on tire, and
then they all joined hands and danced around it This
is mentioned to show how far the party were carried
away by the excess of the day. It was afterwards agreed
by the company in general, that they should go from the
Arcade to the Planter's Hotel, on Canal Street They
went, and there they called for more liquor, which they
drank. They then called for supper. During the time
that the supper was being prepared, these young men
were very troublesome, and one of them struck one of
his best friends, and tried to raise a difficulty with one
of the innkeepers. They still kept up their riotous con-
duct until they were called to supper. They went in,
and as soon as they had supped, returned to the bar-room.
H«re they called for more liquor, the younger brother
calling for wine. The liquor was set out to them in
decanters, as usual, and he ordered one of the bar-keepers
to pour the wine into the glass, and damned him to do it
without hesitation. The bar-keeper picked up the de-
canter and handed it to him ; and with that the young
man drew a bowie-knife, and told him to do it instantly.
The bar-keeper, being frightened, obeyed him, and thai

9

08 ARTS AND MISERIES

Mhcellaneoas Examples. — Shocking Effects of Gambling.

set the decanter to one side, and attempted to go out
from behind the bar, and get rid of this youth ; bat, un-
fortunately for the bar-keeper, he had, in bis fright, given
him brandy instead of wine ; and as soon as be tasted it,
he threw glass and all in the face of the bar-keeper, and
Winded him. He then jumped over the bar, caught him,
and palled him across the counter, and drawing his
bowie-knife, he ran it in behind his right shoulder, and
oat just below the left breast, and killed him instantly.
The servants and the other bar-keepers ran ; he ran also,
and tried to catch some of the rest of them. The guard
came and attempted to take him ; but his brother and he
fought the guard off, and made their way to the City
Hotel, and went to their room to sleep.

In the mean time the guard increased their number,
broke in upon them, and made them both prisoners.
They had retired, apparently not knowing what had
been done, and the knife, all bloody, laid under the head
of this unfortunate young man. On the following
morning they were both brought up and tried; the
youngest was remanded, and the eldest held to bail. As
there was great excitement prevailing throughout the city,
it was thought best not to push his trial for a few weeks,
as the young man that was murdered was very respec-
table. The trial at length commenced, and I think it
lasted some three weeks, though I do not exactly remem-
ber the duration of it. Throughout the trial the ex-
citement was very great, and it sometimes rose to such a
pitch, that it was thought the prison would be torn down
by his enemies, at other times by his friends ; there were
also, during the progress of trial, many attempts, both
fair and foul, to get him a chance to flee, but ail to no
purpose. There was constantly a string of this young

OF GAMBLING. 99

MiteeUuMoaB BrampU*. — Shocking Effects of Gambtiag.

man's friends visiting him, not of the kind that had been
the occasion of his dreadful situation, but those whose
friendship was sincere and honorable. The old lady, his
mother, was constantly and roost anxiously engaged,
(both herself and fortune,) and there was no sacrifice
which she was not ready to make to obtain the rescue of
her poor fallen son ; the fortunes of the two sisters were
also devoted to the same purpose. His brother was as
kind as it was possible for a brother to be ; but all could
not save him. He had the best counsel in the city ; but
that availed nothing, notwithstanding over twenty thou-
sand dollars were expended in procuring their services.
His guilt being unquestionable, the jury brought in a
verdict of guilty. The only remaining hope now was,
that he might possibly obtain a new trial, or, if that failed,
to get him reprieved by the executive of the state. The
motion, however, for a new trial, and the application for
a reprieve, were both unsuccessful. His aged mother,
immediately upon the failure to get a new trial, went to
the governor, and on her knees implored him to spare
the life of her son ; but the governor declined giving her
an answer until the next morning. When the morning
came, she received the sad, and, to her, heart-rending
intelligence that her son must die. Again she waited
on the governor with a petition signed by a great number
of citizens, and again on her bended knees entreated
him to pardon that doomed son, who had been misled
and brought to ruin by a set of desperate villains ; but
all to no purpose. Again she received the fatal news
that he must die. She then made another attempt ; she
prayed that his sentence might be commuted for im-
prisonment for life in the penitentiary; but this he
likewise refused, and told her that all her intercession for

r>u52M

100 ARTS AND MISERIES

MfeeeHaneoofl Examples. — Shocking Eflbcts of QtnbUng.

him would be unavailing, that he must suffer the penalty
that had been awarded. She, nevertheless, made one
more effort ; this was, that he might be respited for the
•term of one year; but this, like all the preceding
applications, was denied. Every door of hope now
appeared to be closed ; and it was a most heart-rending
sight to see the mother and the two daughters leaving
the governor's mansion, with unutterable grief and
anguish depicted in their countenances. They moved
on slowly and silently towards the prison, where the
condemned son and his brother were waiting in the most
agonizing suspense, to hear the news, which at best
they knew would be dreadful enough. None appeared
to have courage enough to tell him, except his youngest
sister; and it was agreed that she should be speaker
on this mournful occasion. With silent steps the daughter
and mother approached the cell of this poor, unfortunate
young man. When he inquired what news they brought
from the governor, the youngest sister told him that he
must die. They wept over one another as if their hearts
would break. The mother then knelt by the side of her
poor son, and prayed that God would pardon his sins,
and give him grace and courage to encounter the
dreadful trial that awaited him. The mother and sisters
then bade him their last farewell. They then retired,
and the brother entered his cell. Silence prevailed for
some time; it was finally broken by the younger.
u Well," said he, " brother, I must die ; mother says
that on to-morrow I have to be executed, and bid a
final adieu to my mother, my sisters, and my brother;
and I am to be hung, too, like a dog, to gratify tne
vengeance of my enemies." " No ! " replied the eloer
brother, " you shall not die like a dog ; you most Am

OF GAMBLING. 101

Miscellaneous Examples. — Shocking Effect* of Gambling.

like a man 1 " and then pulled out the same knife with
which his brother committed the murder, and said,
" Your mother, your brother, and your sisters, all wish
you to take your own life, in preference to being hung
like a dog." " Well," said the younger brother, " your
request is granted, and not for one hour will your brother
be alive after you leave this cell ; but, brother, remember
our mother and dear sisters when I am gone; I have
heaped mountains of trouble on their heads. O ! take
care that you do not fall by the same bad men that have
brought your brother to an untimely grave." He then
bade his brother farewell, and they parted. His brother
had been gone only a few minutes, when the keeper
visited the cell of this young man. He rapped at the
door, but all was silent. He then opened the shutter of
the blind door, and saw this youth lying prostrate on the
floor of his cell, his eyes closed in death ; he had stabbed
himself to the heart. As soon as this was known, the
excitement was tremendous; the friends of the mur-
dered man swore that they would have the body, and
hang it at all hazards. -He committed suicide in the
afternoon, and that evening it was said that he was to
have been executed in the prison-yard.

The brother and some friends took the body and car-
ried it some miles above the city, and there they put it
aboard the Bayou Sarah packet, and carried it to the
parish of Feliciana, where he was buried with all the
honors that would have been paid to men who had lived
an upright life, and had died the most honorable death.
A few months passed away, and the younger sister was
taken sick and died ; indeed, she had never been well
since the dreadful occurrence that has just been related ;
and thus was the grief of this poor old lady greatly in-

9*

102 ARTS AND MISERIES

Miscellaneous Examples, — Shocking Effects of Gambling.

creased. Time rolled on, and the remaining brother
was still dissipating, and suffering himself to be imposed
upon by many pretended friends, not suspecting that he
had any thing to fear, as he had somewhat cut the ac-
quaintance of that class of men with which he had for-
merly allowed himself to be identified. But still there
appeared to be ill luck attending him. In 1840, he had
some business to call him a few miles from home, and he
found it requisite for him to take an early start He
got up with his family at an early hour, and having some
occasion to go out into his yard, when it was not yet quite
light, he was shot dead in his own door. There were
great exertions made to find out the perpetrator of this
murder ; but as yet, I believe, the mystery has never been
unravelled. And thus ended the lives of two valuable
young men : and may this narrative operate as a warning
to all those who may be exposed to the machinations of
that class of men by which they were entrapped, and
ultimately brought to such a tragical termination of their
lives.

The old lady, I believe, still resides at her former res-
idence, near Jackson, Louisiana, and perhaps the remain-
ing sister with her. This incident is only one of a mul-
titude that might be adduced to illustrate the pernicious,
the horrible effects of the vice which forms the subject
of this narrative and of this volume \ and still it is a roost
lamentable truth, that it is encouraged by some who
would think that great injustice was done them if they
were not esteemed as worthy and honorable citizens, and
never seem to wake up to its odious and damning char-
acter, until themselves or their children are brought to
the brink of deep degradation and ruin by its insidious
influence, an<J the infamous artifices of those who give

Or GAMBLING. 10»

Loutevflle £«*•.— Difiereat Grata of Fnternkm A GmUan.

their days and nights to the study and practice of tine
abominable, this soul-destroying avocation.

TM MIOIALIZINS INFLDBHCBS OP RACE-FIELDS.

In Louisville, in the year 1841, during the week of
the spring races, the gamblers of every caste were there
to partake of the benefits of the sports of the week.
Here might the eye have taken in, at one glance, all the
different grades of this profession.

At the close of the week they began to operate in such
a manner as is characteristic of this class of men. For
instance, at the commencement of the sport of the week,
you might have seen classes number 1, 2, 3,* and 4, and
indeed every grade, and every species of every grade,
down to the blacks, all perfectly friendly. And this is
the cause of such kind of feeling being manifested
among them : it is never known who is to be the lucky
one during this week of sport ; perhaps it may be num-
ber 4 : if so, he is promoted to class number 1, as long
as his money makes him worthy of their attention. But
when his money gives out, he has to return to his former »
class, who are always ready to receive him. They are
formed into classes as follows : the first class consists of
faro-dealers, the second class is composed of an inferior
grade of faro-dealers ; the third class is made up of those
who play roulette, chucker-luck, or other species of

• For an explanation of these different numbers, see description
of Cockpito.

1©4 ARTS AND MISERIES

Different Grades of Professional Gamblers.

small* plain villany. The characters composing cl
number 3 are men who are generally termed the fighters,
or the low-bred bullies; the class number 4 are men
that play thimbles or trunk-lieu, or, in other and plain
language, they are pickpockets.

In the commencement of the week you will see all
these different classes working among one another like
bees : watch them, and you will find that if number 4
appears to have a plenty of money, he becomes worthy
ef number 3's attention as long as he has a dollar. The
same may be said of number 3 : as long as they hare
money, they are the very men for number 2 ; and as
long as number 2 has money, he is as much of a gentle-
man as number 1 wishes to find. And this is the situa-
tion of these different classes ; number 3 being considered
as the fighting or the bullying class. This class is gen-
erally composed of our lowest-bred men, and seldom do
you meet with one of them that may not be readily des-
ignated by his profane swearing; his bragging of his
great exploits in fighting; .boastfully proclaiming how
much money he has won at roulette or chucker-luck,*
or, it may be, how much number 1 has given him for
whipping such and such a man. This class is more
numerous than any other. And here I will try to show
how an individual of this class is effectually debarred
from the notice or respectful attention of a gentleman.
His base character is so conspicuously displayed by his
countenance, that he may be infallibly known by this
sign alone. And though his bosom may glitter with the
most costly diamonds, these adornments, so far from con-
cealing his real character, will only seem, by contrast,

* Chucker-luck, a game played with three dice.

V

■ • //'* '

■ ■/■*

/ ■

OF GAMBLING. 105

Different Grades of Professional Gamblers. — A row and death.

to make it the more evident that he is a thorough-bred
scoandrel. '

The only man of this class that I ever knew, of whom
it could be supposed, for a moment, that he had a spark
of honorable feeling left, was a man who lived in Cin-
cinnati. He was far superior in his general deportment ,
to any other of that class. He was generally regarded
with some consideration by men of respectable standing,
in that they thought he possessed some redeeming traits
of character, and that there was some probability of his
being reclaimed from the paths of vice. This was no-
ticed by his companions in villany, who were envious of
the distinction thus made between him and themselves.
He was a man who never participated in any of their
foul transactions; and when a difficulty arose, he was
always the first to try to settle it peaceably if possible.

At the time of the races of which I have spoken, he
had been present during the week, and probably made
some little money ; of this, however, I cannot speak with
certainty. But the time had now come for the inimical
feelings of the different classes to show themselves; class
number 3, being spoken of in particular, in a very offen-
sive manner by those above tbem, they soon became so
irritated that they got to fighting; and during the fight,
this young man (as was his custom) took it upon him-
self to try to separate them. While endeavoring to do
so, one of the parties caught hold of him, and stabbed
him, which caused his death almost immediately. The
man who perpetrated this foul deed was forthwith
arrested ; but, as is too frequently the case, (even though
the guilt of the individual is most glaringly manifest,) he
was admitted to bail, and on his final trial was acquitted,
as he produced evidence going to prove that he was

106 ARTS AND MISERIES

How to distinguish the different classes of Gamblers.

justifiable in what he did, though the perpetrator had
always borne the character of a low-bred, bloody-minded,
desperate bully, and still retains that character; but I
believe that he is only the more respected by this class
for having been the instrument of taking the life of one
of his clan.

I will now explain to the reader in what way persons
of these different classes may be readily distinguished,
either on steamboats, or in any other places where they
may happen to be met with. When in company, we are
too apt to form hasty acquaintances ; this frequently, and
more especially, occurs with young travellers ; and these
are the very ones which, above all others, the different
classes spoken of are constantly on the look-out for. If
number 1 should happen to meet you, he will converse
with you in such a manner as is calculated to deceive
you as to his designs. He will have the audacity to ap-
proach you in any form that he may think he can reach
you. If on a steamer, they have many ways to approach
you. If they think you worthy of their attention, they
will approach you thus : they will inquire what part you
are from; and as there are very few of number 1 that
have been confined to any one portion of our country,
they are generally ready to discourse with you. They
will ask you how Judge A or B comes on, or how such a
merchant is getting along — is he solvent or not, and all
such questions, which will make you think that you are
certainly talking to a man of some importance ; and be-
coming prepossessed in his favor, you are apt to enter
into an intimacy with him. After he has gained your
confidence in him as a gentleman, he will then find out
what your business is, where you are going, how long
you expect, to stay, and all that can be beneficial to him ;

or gambling;. 107

Number 1 a Gentleman and a good DiptomatLit.

he will find out particularly whether you are inclined to
sport, before he gets half done making his inquiries.
Perhaps he will say that the judge before alluded to is
fond of horse-racing, and then he will ask you if they
raise many fine-blooded horses with you ; and if you
converse freely, he soon finds out your prevailing dis-
positions ; and then, by some ingenious way, he will as-
certain how much money you have, and of what kind,
and likewise whether or not it is your intention to spec-
ulate. This he will do in such a way that few would
suspect that he had any sinister design whatever. He
will either do it by offering you money to exchange, or
by some other expedient he will succeed in extricating
the desired information from you. And having learned
whether or not you have an inclination to play, his next
object is to satisfy himself what games you prefer to
play ; and thus having possessed himself of all the in-
formation he wishes, if he should think that you are not
high enough game for him, he will apprize number 2 of
you. An individual of this class now approaches you,
and being fully acquainted with your position from num-
ber 1 , his course is a comparatively easy one ; he tries to
bring you acquainted with some of his friends of this
class, whom he will have stationed in different positions
to receive you ; and if he finds, from his efforts, that you
are not prepared for the operation of his base designs,
that is, that you have not played sufficiently to have con-
fidence in your skill at play, he leaves you in the hands
of number 3 ; and he, by bragging of his fighting and
desperate deeds, and how mnch he makes at the time of
public races, and how every body is beholden to him for
his Samson-like strength, and all such low-bred talk,
endeavors, to get you interested for him, and to stake

106 ARTS AND MISERIES

Outward Appearances often a wrong Indication of Character.

him, as they term borrowing. He will also talk, ia a
boastful, swaggering manner, of what number 2 or num-
ber 1 owes him ; and if, after all, he cannot succeed in
getting you to come into his measures, he will turn you
over to number 4. All that this gentleman requires, is
to know whether you have money or not, and if his
thimbles and other tricks of gambling will not reach you,
perhaps his false keys or sharp knife for your pocket
will ; and if that fails, his last effort would be the " dray-
pin," or some other foul means. I would here wish the
reader to understand, that among this base class of men
you will find a plenty of number I that are graduates in this
base species of villany. They will play every thing that
is described in this chapter, sooner than that you should
escape them.

There are so many ways by which men of this class
may deceive you in trading and other transactions, that
you should never allow yourselves to repose confidence too
soon in a person, because he may have the appearance
of a gentleman merchant, or any other respectable avo-
cation. However specious appearances may be, you
should be watchful of all such ; if they are honest men,
it will- do them no harm ; and by this means you will be-
come more ready and adroit in detecting those despicable
rogues who skulk about under the specious garb of gen-
tlemen and useful citizens. Such persons (it is to be
regretted) are often countenanced by some who are gen*
erally regarded as honorable men and good citizens.
And ask them the reasons why they do so, and they will
say, " O, he trades with me, and I make money out of
him, and hence I am friendly with him. He always has
money, and his money is as good as any body's, and I
find it to my interest to treat him in a friendly manner,

OF GAMBLING. 109

The Moral Sense of Gamblers blunted or petroled.

bat he will never get me to play with him." This may
be true ; but does this man take into consideration that
he is, by his civilities and attentions, feeding the fire that
is consuming his friends, who take this individual to be
an honorable man ; otherwise such a man as he would
not condescend to have any dealings with him. And
thus they give the gambler a chance to ruin their chil-
dren, and their nearest and dearest friends ; and all from
purely selfish or mercenary motives*

It is truly astonishing to think to what an extent the
moral sense of gamblers may be blunted or perverted.
If an individual of number 4 (that is, one of those
trunk-line gentry) should bring number 1 a watch, or
any other piece of property, worth, say two hundred and
fifty dollars, and offer it for fifty, he would consider it
honest to buy it ; or if he should bring him a thousand
dollars in money that was bearing a premium, and offer
it for eight hundred dollars, he would think himself per-
fectly justifiable in purchasing it, although he might be
fully convinced, at the same time, that it belonged to
another. And what vice can be worse than that which
can so pervert the moral feelings, as to induce a man to
imagine that he is acting rightly and honorably, when he
is, in the most palpable and effectual manner, giving his
countenance, sanction, and encouragement to theft and
robbery, and would in the eye of God, and of the laws
of the land, be justly arraignable as accessory to the per-
petration of those crimes !

10

110 ARTS AND MISERIES

The Game of Faro, as found in Hoyle's Treatise.

^—— — — — ■ "i ' ■ ■!■ ■ ■ ■ i ■ ■ ■

THE CA1E W FAIO.

[From Hoyle'a Treatise.]

" The game of pharo, or faro, is very similar to basset,
a game formerly much in vogue. It may be played by
any number of persons ; and each player, or punter, as
he is termed, is furnished with a suit of cards denomi-
nated a livret, and four other cards which are called
Jigures ; viz. : the first is a plain card, with a blue cross,
and is called the little figure, and designates the ace,
deuce, and three. The second is a yellow card, and
answers for the four, five, and six. The third is a plain
card, with a black lozenge in the centre ; and designates
the seven, eight, nine, and ten. The fourth is a red
card, and answers for the king, queen, and knave.

The game may be played without these figures, as
every punter has a suit of cards ; but they are convenient
for those who wish to punt, or stake upon seven cards at
a time.

The money placed on the cards by the punter is
answered by a banker, who limits the sums to be played
for according to the magnitude of his bank. At public
tables, the banker, according to the number of punters,
has two, three, or more assistants, called croupiers,
whose business it is to watch the games of the several
punters.

Terms used in the Game of Faro.

<

Banker, the person who keeps the table.

Couche, or Enjeu, the stake.

Coup, any two cards dealt alternately to the right or left.

OF GAMBLING. Ill

Tie Gome of Faro, m foamd in floyle'i Twntim.

' — ^— — »

Croupier, an assistant to the dealer.

Doublet is when the punter's card is turned up twice
in the same coup ; in which case the bank wins half the
stake. A single parolet must be taken down, but if there
are se?eral, only one retires.

Hockley signifies the last card but one, the chance of
which the banker claims, and may refuse to let any punter
withdraw a card when eight or less remain to be dealt

Livret, a suit of thirteen cards, with four others,
called figures, viz. : one, named the little figure, has a
blue cross on each side, and represents ace, deuce, trois ;
another yellow on both sides, styled the yellow figure,
signifies 4, 5, 6 ; a third, with a black lozenge in the
centre, named the black figure, stands for 7, 8, 9, 10 ;
and a red card, called the great, or red figure, for knave,
queen, king.

Uunepour V autre means a drawn game, and is said
when two of the punter's cards are dealt in the same
coup.

Masque signifies turning a card, or placing another
face downwards, during any number of coups, on that
whereon the punter has staked, and which he may after-
wards display at pleasure.

Oppose is reversing the game, and having the cards
on the right for the punter, and those on the left for the
dealer.

Paix, equivalent to double or quits, is, when the
punter, having won, does not choose to parolet and risk
his stake, but bends or makes a bridge of his card, sig-
nifying that he ventures his gains only. A double paix
is, when the punter, having won twice, bends two cards,
one over the other; treble paix, thrice, &c. A paix
may follow a sept, &c, or quinze, &c. &c.

112 ARTS AND MISERIES

The Game of Faro, as fbuad in Boyle's Treatise.

PcrifrParolet is when a punter has gained a parolet,
wishes then to play double or quits, and save his original
stakes ; double paix-parolet succeeds to winning a paix-
parolet ; treble paix-parolet follows double, &c.

Parolet, sometimes called cocking, is when a punter,
being fortunate, chooses to venture both his stake and
gains, which he intimates by bending a corner of his
card upwards.

Pli is when a punter, having lost half his stake by a
doublet, bends a card in the middle, and setting it up
with the points and foot towards the dealer, signifies
thereby a desire either of recovering the moiety, or of
losing all.

Pont, the same as Paix.

Punt, the punter or player.

Quinze, et le va, is when the punter, having won a
sept, &c, bends the third corner of the card, and ven-
tures for fifteen times his stake.

Sept, et le va, succeeds the gaining of a parolet, by
.which the punter, being entitled to thrice his stake, risks
the whole again, and bending his card a second time,
tries to win sevenfold.

Soizante, et le va, is when the player having obtained
« trente, ventures all once more, which is signified by
making a fifth parolet, either on another card, if he has
paroleted on one only before, or by breaking the side of
that one which contains four, to pursue his luck in the
next deal.

TaiUeur, the dealer ; generally the banker.

Trente, et le va, follows a quinze, &c., when the
punter again tries his luck, and makes a fourth parolet.

Or GAMBLING. 113

Th* Game of Fmro, M foam* in Hojrie's Ti—ttw.

Method of Dealing, Rules of the Game, &c.

1. The dealer, who is generally the banker, is seated
at such a part of the table where he can best observe the
games of the several punters. He then takes an entire
pack of cards, which he ought invariably to count, lest
there should be one card more or less than fifty-two*
When this happens to be the case, the dealer forfeits his
deal, and the bank must then pay every stake depending
on the cards of the different punters.

2. After the cards are counted, the dealer must shuffle
and mix them well, as no one but himself, or one of the
bankers, is suffered to touch the cards, except to cut
them ; which is generally done by one of the punters.

3. After the cards are cut, the dealer shows the bot-
tom card to the company, and leaves one of the, same
sort turned up on the table, that every one may know
what card is at the bottom, without asking the dealer.
The punters having made their game, the dealer an-
nounces that he is about to begin his deal, by saying

" Play."

4. He now proceeds to turn the cards up from the
top of the pack, one by one, placing the first card on his
right hand, the second on his left ; thus continuing till
he has turned up every card in the pack, laying twenty-
six on one side, and twenty-six on the other. He also
specifies the cards he turns up, as thus, ace, queen, &c.
The first card, which is placed on the right side, is for
the bank ; the second, which is placed on the left side,
in for the- punters, and so on alternately, until the whole
pack is dealt out, stopping at the end of every second
card, to observe if an event has taken place ; in that

10*

116 ARTS AND MISERIES

Odds at the Gune of Faro.

14. The dealer must always be ready to answer how
many cards remain to be dealt, when he is asked by any
of the punters, in order that they may know how to pro-
ceed ; as it is considerably against them to make a fresh
game, a paix, or a parolet, when the cards are nearly
out.

15. When the left-hand card turned up is like that oa
the right, as two kings, two queens, &c, it is called a
doublet, and the punter thereby loses half his stake.
This is greatly in favor of the bank.

16. When this happens with a card on which a punter
has made a parolet, he must take it down, but does not
Jose his stake. When there are more parolets than one,
the punter is to take down but one corner of his card.

Odds at the Game of Faro.

The chances of doublets vary according to the num-
ber of similar cards remaining among those undealt.
The odds against the punter increase with every coup
that is dealt.

When only eight cards are remaining, it is 5 to 3 in
favor of the bank.

When -only six cards, it is 2 to 1.

When only four cards, 3 to 1.

That the punter does not win his first stake is an
equal bet.

That he does not win twice following, is . . 8 to 1.

Three times following, is 7 to 1.

Four ditto, is 15 to 1.

Five ditto, is 31 to 1.

Six ditto, is 63 to 1."

*

OF GAMBLING. 117

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

' Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

This game has proved to be the most destructive one
erer introduced among us, both on account of its being
the greatest banking game, and the most exciting and
fascinating game known. And I think no one, after
becoming somewhat acquainted with the details of this
game, will judge of it to be otherwise than I have here
represented it to be.

Mr. Hoyle, in his Treatise on Games, contemplated in
this, as in every other game of his introduction, fair play,
and has so laid the game down, and given a scientific
exposition of his principles and positions, that persons
reading his Treatise would get but a very trifling knowl-
edge, of the game as played at present by the gamblers
throughout our country. This has been so entirely
remodeled and changed, as at present to bear no resem-
blance to the faro introduced by Mr. Hoyle ; and as I
have undertaken to expose the "deceptions of this game,
I hope to be able to complete the task (adhering strictly
to the truth) in such a manner as shall convince all of
the immense evil of it, and fully expose to all the arti-
fices of those who play it ; indeed, a man, it will clearly
appear, would act more rationally and correctly to burn
his money than to bet it on faro. In both cases he
would lose his money, but in the former it would be lost
without the sin of gambling being committed, his time
wasted, and his reputation injured ; all these, and more,
he will save by burning his money, in preference to bet-
ting it on faro.

Mr. Hoyle, I 'doubt not, little supposed that any one
would wish to improve his games, and there is only one

118 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

^— — - 1^ — — .^— i — — ^ ^

class of persons that would wish to do so, and that is the
class of professional gamblers, who are usually quite in-
genious, though their - ingenuity all runs into rascality ;
and faro, as Mr. Hoyle led it, certainly afforded a fine
scope for them to exercise their talents. This they have
done so effectually that the banker now possesses almost
all the chances to win ; and there are very few against
him that would cause him to lose. And just as the
banker's chances are for winning, so are the betters'
chances for losing. Mr. Hoyle never spoke of such a
thing in his Treatise as a box being connected in any
manner with the game ; but he directs that the game be
played with fifty-two cards, and these cards be subject to
every body's inspection. When all were ready, the*
dealer would begin by shuffling and cutting fairly, and
then deal from his own hands, one to the right and one
to the left ; that which was dealt to the right was for the
banker, and the left is for those who bet, whom Mr.
Hoyle calls " punters/' J would here recommend to the
reader to examine what 'Hoyle says in relation to the
chances for and against the better ; that is, in the faro
which he introduced, (which is tenfold fairer than the
game now played under that name ;) and I think any
rational man will be satisfied that the odds are not less
than forty per cent, in favor of the banker, when the
game was played comparatively fairly ; but this is known
to but very few of those who bet on it ; and of late years
these odds have been immeasurably increased in favor of
the banker. All men who have seen this game played
of late years can testify that it is now dealt from a box,
and this box we find to have been introduced by the
banker, and not by the betters on the game ; and should
a banker be questioned as to his motives for introducing

OF GAMBLING. 119

Deception! used im the Game of Faio.

the box, or why the box was introduced at all, his reply
will be, that it was to prevent the betters from taking
advantages of him by marking the cards ; and then, to
render his story probable, he will mark his cards on the
edges, and pretend to show how easy it would be for him
to be imposed upon by the crafty, and how great a risk
he would run of being ruined if the box were not used.

Now all this is the height of improbability ; for in Mr.
Hoyle's day, and at the present time, the dealer has from
one to four assistants, who are called " croupiers, 1 ' or
''lookouts;" whose business it is to assist the dealer,
by looking out for his interests all through the game, to
see that all bets which he wins are paid, and none paid
out that was not lost by the dealer; and, in fine, to
guard his interests wherein and wherever they may be at
stake. And it is idle to tell us that the dealer can suffer
from such intrigues, when he is so well guarded by men
who have the same interest in the game that he has, and
who are well versed in all the various tricks and cheats,
and know perfectly well how to guard against them.
On the contrary, he is the only one that possesses any
chance of practising cheats; and this he continually
does, so long as he is playing. And the motives for
changing this game from the hand to the box, were as
base and nefarious as any that ever actuated the in-
genious but wicked gambler; his object was nothing
less than to be absolutely sure of stripping completely
every man that should bet against him. And what is
said by the banker of protecting himself against the
cheats of the betters, was, in reality, nothing but an
artifice, or blind, to screen himself in practising his
cheats Against the persons that would bet against the
game. As before suggested, the banker, even in Hoyle's

\

120 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in the Gaino of Faro.

time, had immense advantages over the betters ; but this
class of men have such an insatiable avidity for pelf, —
they are such very slaves to the love of money, that if a
man loses ninety-nine dollars with them when he has a
hundred* they are as eager (if not more so) for the last
dollar as if they had won nothing, both that they may
have the boast of having won all before them, and to
gratify their lawless, villanous, and morbid desire of pos-
session.

Hoyle never says, in a single instance in his Treatise,
that the odds are at any time in favor of the better, but
always in favor of the banker ; and we may be sure that
no change would ever be made by him that would lessen
the odds that are in his favor. Though it is true, that
some unimportant bets are sometimes won from the
bank, yet it is very seldom, indeed, that a man leaves it,
with more money than he carried to it ; for it matters but
little how lucky a man may be, — the banker has equal
chances with himself as far as luck may go, and with his
scores of artificial advantages, he can beat any and every
man who may play against him. And I am of the
opinion, had every man that has bet against faro, been
furnished with a copy of Hoyle's Games, and studied the
chances against the better, that the game would have
gone down ; or, at least, the attempt to introduce a set
of tools in the game would have failed. But a great
majority have never had a copy of this work, which, I
doubt not, would have deterred multitudes from betting
when the odds were manifestly so great against them.

When the boxes were first introduced in this game
they were made of brass, a very little larger than the
pack, and about half an inch wider, with one side left
open, in order that the pack might be placed inside of

OF GAMBLING. 121

Deception* used in the Game of Faro.

the box; and the side opposite the open side, had an
opening, close up to the top, sufficiently large to let one
card at a time slip out ; and in the top of the case was
an opening large enough to insert the end of the finger,
for the purpose of slipping off the top card. There were
at the bottom of the box, on the inside, springs which
kept the cards pressed closely to the top of the box, so
that the top card could always be slipped through the
opening as long as any remained in the box. This box
I will call box number one, as it was the first box used in
this game. But before this box came into use, the fol-
lowing cheats were very common, as well as at the
present time : the dealer would trim a very little from
the edge of his cards, so as to make them a fraction
narrower at one end than at the other. The piece that
he would cut off, would not exceed the sixteenth part of
an inch in width at one end, and would run to a point
at the other. This is done that certain cards may be
reversed and known ; that is, the narrow ends of some
turned with the wide ends of others. Thus he might
take all the cards under seven, and turn their narrow
ends with the wide ends of the rest of the pack, by which
the chances for doublets — on which the banker wins the
half of the stake — are much increased, and the cards
used more in bunches, by which the odds in his favor
are still further increased. When cards are prepared as
I have above described, they are called strippers ; and
when their wide ends are all turned together, it is difficult
to detect them ; but when a part of them are reversed, it
is very easy to detect them ; for if they be taken by the
opposite ends, all of those turned a different way will
easily come out if pulled by the ends.

There is also another kind of strippers, called kol-
11

122 ARTS AN0 MISERIES

-

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

lows and rounds; they are cut in plates made for the
purpose ; and a portion of the deck is wider across the
middle, and tapers a very little towards the ends. The
other portion is hollowed out a little, so as to be the
narrowest across the middle ; and strippers of this kind
are used for the same purpose as the other kind, and are
stripped by taking hold on the middle and at one end,
and not by catching hold on the two ends, as in the
other cases. All cards prepared in this way, are
trimmed so very little that close examination is neces-
sary for detection ; and a man must have soil and smooth
hands, or he cannot strip them well. These, gamblers
generally have, and together with their constant practice,
they may be said to be perfect in the art

The deception with these cards is carried on still
further by separating (slipping) the reversed portion, and
putting them among the cards either at the top or
bottom ; and to prevent splitting, the dealer will " milk "
the cards ; that is, draw ait the very same time one card
from the top and one from the bottom, bringing both off
together, and laying them into a heap, until the whole
pack has been run through in this manner; then one
half will win and the other half will lose, and cutting
them does not in any wise alter the matter. The better,
if he knew this, might suppose that he was as likely to
get upon the winning side, as the losing side ; but he will
find, by examining Hoyle's chances, that the odds are
always against him, independently of the intrigues of the
dealer, in whose power it is, at any moment, to change
his luck to the losing side; and those odds increase
against the better at any turn throughout the deal.
Yet men will often continue to bet on a card which has
lost several times, and then endeavor to win by betting

OF GAMBLING. 123

*

Deceptions uwd in the Game of Faro.

on the same card every time, and perhaps double their
bets until they lose all they have, there being twenty-six
turns in a deal ; and nineteen bets can be made on any
central caVd, and should that central card be turned up
on the dealer's side, the better would lose his whole
nineteen bets. Betting in this way, a man can bet on
one card bo as to include eight out of the thirteen cards ;
so that, if but one man should be betting, and he should
bet on but one card, but should make all the bets thai
can be made on that card, he would include eight out of
the thirteen cards, and of course would have eight to
effect his bets, and five not to change them. >

A man will sometimes put his money down, and let k
be all through the deal ; and if he should do so and win
twice, it is against fearful odds ; for dealers of faro have
so well acquired the art of throwing two cards at once,
that they can do it in the face of the smartest gamblers,
or others who may venture to bet against them; and yet
they cannot be detected. They have cards so nice and
thin, that by being hard pressed they win stick close
together, and a man cannot tell whether one or two are
dealt; and when a man is on the winning side, the
4ealer can quickly change him to the losing side, by
dealing two cards at one time ; which he is die better
enabled to do, as it is often that one half of his cards are
«o prepared on the faces that they readily adhere to the
back of the one on which they are pressed. And if the
better should by seme accident again get on the winning
side, he can as easily change the order again ; and if he
fears that the cards will be counted, he wiH cheat the
better in another way. As he will be acquainted with
the backs of the cards, he will take a card and secrete it
in his right hand, and keep it there until he has occasion

124 ARTS AND MISERIES

iii-- — —

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

to use it for the purpose of changing the better to the
losing side. For if he should have a ten in his hand,
and the better should get the run of tens on his side, the
dealer will not only change the run to his own side, but
by dealing the ten which he has in his hand on to the
dealer's heap, he wins at the same time that he changes
the run. The dealer will often deal off, and change the
card he holds in his right, whenever he is to win by the
change ; and if a bet should be made to include the card
he has in his hand, the dealer will drop that card on the
top of the pack, and it comes to the dealer's side, and
the better loses.

He is effectually prevented from seeing the cards in
the dealer's hand by the position in which he holds his
hand. The dealer has, also, a great advantage from
knowing the cards by their backs, as well as by their
faces, and can, at any stage of the deal, tell what the top
card would be; and if it should be a card that he is
about to lose on, he will deal the card next the top, by
sliding his thumb a little back, and with it the top card,
which exposes the second card enough for his right
thumb to catch the edge of it, and he deals it instead of
the top card. This art he has by practice so perfect
that the keenest eyes will not detect him in the act.

I have often seen men, when dealing out of the hand,
put in practice these cheats when the betters around the
table were expecting it, and looking out for it, but could
not possibly detect it, and none would know it but his
private partners, whom he would tell of it. It is not very
probable that persons totally unacquainted with the cards
will understand all the explanations here given; but if
they think it of sufficient interest, let them ask any one
who knows any thing of the cards, and I feel sure that he

OP GAMBLING. 125

Dacejptiona used in the Gome of Faro.

will testify to the truth of what I here say. If a man
takes a pack of strippers, and turns two cards around,
and shuffles them thoroughly, and strips them, he will
find that those two will always come out together. This
will show any one how the players manage to have
certain cards always together, either on the top, or at
the bottom, or in the middle. The gambler, however,
will generally have one half of the pack reversed, and
knows well what they are, and when he strips and places
them on top, he knows every card in the top hal£ and
tfiose that lie at the bottom.

I will now continue my remarks upon the introduction
of the box to deal from. The dealer * will say that it is
to prevent the betters from taking advantages of him,
and he will insist that there are no means of his taking
any advantage of the betters. But, at the same time that
he is telling this, he is only preparing the way to intro-
duce his cheats by wholesale* for there never was, I
think, any kind of business on which more attention has
been bestowed, and more efforts made at improvements,
than in this same game of faro. And I would not have
my readers to suppose that the deceptions which I expose
are all the deceptions that are now used, or can be used,
in this game ; for there are constantly being invented
and introduced new tricks — indeed, in the course of
every year, some new tricks come into use. But what I
here speak of, are deceptions that are in general use at
present. There may possibly be some intrigues used in
this game that I may not be acquainted with; but I
believe them to be few, if any ; for I have perhaps had

* DtaUr, the one who keeps the faro bank ; when we speak of
betters or players against the bank, we mean the men who play
against this dealer or banker.

11 •

126 ARTS AND MISERIES

•Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

as good an opportunity of becoming acquainted with
them as almost any other man.

This game is so full of fascination that it is quite im-
possible to describe the various attractive points of it j
and the excitement which the betters often get into, is
all for the dealer's advantage. And when the dealer
says he has no advantage in the box, he says falsely ; for
having the box does not prevent the dealer from having
marked cards, neither does it prevent him from having
strippers and making use of them; for when he uses
strippers, he can reverse them; and in shuffling, he
always gets them in whatever position he wishes, and
strips them so as to make splits, by which he is sure of
winning one half of the stakes that are up. And the
deceptive cutting and shuffling before the cards are put
in the box, are carried on. as well with the box as with-
out it

The box itself is about half an inch wider than the
cards are. This, the dealer will say, is to prevent the
betters from seeing into the box ; but this is false ; it is
so made for deceptive purposes. On the under side of
the top of this box, which is of the same thickness with
the test of the box, is a piece of the same material as the
box. This piece is about a quarter of an inch in width,
and will admit the back edge of the top card between it
and the top of the box, in an opening which is between
the two, and the outside of this crevice is closed, so that
a person standing behind the dealer could not see what
use he will make of it, and he will tell them that it is to
prevent persons from looking under and seeing what/
card is coming off before it comes. But in reality, it is
to enable him to deal the second card instead of the first,
whenever he wishes to do so, The dealer will hare a

OF GAMBLING. 127 v

Deception! wed in the Game of Faro.

certain portion of his cards marked, so that he can tell
what they are by feeling the backs. A common way of
marking them is by pricking them with a pin, and he
remembers what cards he has pricked ; and when the top
card is one that he can tell by the marks, and is about to
be unfavorable to him, he (with his forefinger, which is
inserted in the-opening at the top made for that purpose)
pushes the top card back, and it goes into this crevice I
have spoken of, and leaves the second card about half an
inch nearer the opening for the cards to pass through.
He then presses hard on the top card, and moves both it
and the second card at the same time ; but the second
card, being nearly a half an inch in advance of the top
card, reaches the aperture first, and passes partly out ;
he then takes hold of it, and pulls it out, and it is dealt.
This is the manner in which the second card is dealt
instead of the topmost one, and by which the betters are
often beaten out of great sums by this single cheat alone ;
which to the dealer is a very important one, because by
it he not only prevents the better from winning, but wins
himself. He will always be careful to win the most im-
portant bets that are made against the bank, or those
which arev the most to his interest to win ; for faro
dealers, also, have secret partners, and sometimes these
partners will be betting on the game, and win a great
deal apparently ; but this is all mere sham. Sometimes
the dealer will win a small bet of one or two dollars, and
at the same time lose one of ten dollars with one of these
partners ; but it is all only to entice others to bet, that
he has these partners, and lets them apparently win.
This same man, who seems to have won ten dollars, has,
in reality, as much interest in the issue of the small bet
as the dealer.

128 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

It often occurs that a man will go to another, and in-
vite him to accompany him to the faro bank, and each
amuse himself betting against the game ; and sometimes
it happens that the person so invited declines going.
The other asks the reason. His reply may be that he is
afraid of the dealer's advantages and intrigues. If this
man then insists on his going, protesting that there are
no ways for him to be cheated, that the game is fair,
and that his fears are groundless, it is ten to one that
this man is a hireling of the banker's, and probably has
been ruined himself at the same game, and may now
have a small interest in the game allowed him for his
services in procuring persons to bet on the game.

The safest course, in ail such cases, is to turn a deaf
ear to all his falsehoods, and forsake his company, and,
if need be, his acquaintance also. One of the ways by
which a dealer can tell what size a card is before it is
dealt, is this : he marks all the cards in the pack that
have less than seven spots upon them, by picking them
with a pin just where his finger is to touch them to push
them out of the box ; and if a man is betting on a card
that comes within the size of the marked 'cards, the
dealer, when he is dealing, and the top card is one of
the marked cards, (which he can tell by his finger,) will
push it back into the little niche before described, and
take the second instead for the better, and then the
other comes on to the dealer's heap, and the better
loses. This he will continue to do; and the persons
betting will seldom come nearer to wanning than to have
a " stand-oft" Thus, if a man bets on the ace and
deuce, and the ace comes to his side, and the deuce to
the dealer's side, it is a stand-off, and neither wins ; and
should two acest be turned together, one for the better,

OF GAMBLING. 129

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

and one for the dealer, It is a split, but the dealer wins
one half of the stakes that are then up.

I will now say something more of the prepared cards,
which are called strippers. The strippers, # of which I
have spoken, were cut on the sides ; but the gamblers
prepare cards by cutting with plates, made for the pur-
pose of cutting the ends instead of the sides ; one part
will be hollowed out at the end, and the other part will
be trimmed a little rounding. This method of trimming
cards enables the players to strip them by the ends as
well as they can strip the others by the sides. Not one
person out of a thousand would look for or suspect this
deception at card-playing. The box of which I have
spoken seems to be the first of the boxes introduced ;
and it contains far more deceptions than a casual ob-
server would suppose; or even if he suspected and should
examine it, he could not imagine all the cheats for which
it is intended, unless he should be let into the secret by
some who really understand them. Soon after the intro-
duction of' this box, it was improved by a small spring at
one end, on the inside. This spring lies the thickness
of three cards from the top of the box, and has a point
small, like the point of a needle, and catches on the edge
of the cards. The dealer remembers the cards that are
cut round, which are often those having a less number
of spots than seven ; and those above seven will be cut

* Strippers, cards prepared by cutting them into the form of
wedges. By turning them vice versa, and catching hold of the
end, they can be drawn in bunches, which is twenty-five per cent,
in favor of the dealer. They are sometimes prepared on the
aides ; at other times on the end. A different article of strippers
is frequently called hollows and rounds, made by hollowing one.
hal£ and making the balance round.

180 ARTS AND MISERIES

■ ■■■■! » ■ I I ■ ■ ■ ■ I I I ■ I' !■

Deceptions (wed in the Game of Faro.

— ■■■■- i i ■■ — — — ■ i - - i i ■ ■■ ■ ■ ■ ■ — ■ ■ - ■■— !■ — — ■ ■ - ■» ■ -

hollow at the ends. By the aid of this spring, the dealer
is enabled to tell whether the first card is round or
hollow, and also what the second card is ; as when the
round Gard comes in contact with the spring; it pushes it
in, and as it slips it makes a slight noise, like the grating
of the nails ; by this he can tell whether to take the
second card or not, as he can take one as well as the
other ; and by this odds he is likely to win every dollar
that may be bet on the game. And if any of the other
betters should say that the dealer has too much the ad-
vantage of them, he readily replies, " Well, gentlemen,
any of you open a bank, and I will bet against it." And
if one of them does open a bank, he, of course, will not be
acquainted with the secret springs of this box, and the
old dealer knows well how to profit by them even though
he is not dealing ; and the advantages in the game are
sufficient. In a word, he ts almost as sure of winning as
if he still dealt ; this is by reason of his understanding
the little noise made by his secret springs, which informs
him what card is coming, or so near it that he is always
enabled to make quite accurate calculations as to what
card is coming, and can always make advantageous bets;
the cards being so trimmed, that about half of them will
move the springs, and cause a grating, which the oM
dealer well understands, and well knows what cards will
move the springs, and he lets his bets include these
cards. With this advantage he can win all the money
from this new banker, as fast as the new banker wins it
from the other betters; so that, in the end, he gets all the
money, whether he deals himself or bets against some
new banker, who may be dealing from his advantage
boxes. This (as before observed) he is enabled to do
by the aid of his springs, which are like most of his

Or GAMBLING. 131

Deception! used in the Game of Faro.

villanous inventions, that work both ways ; and when he
seems to relinquish all advantages, he still retains some
very important one that will still insure him success.

There are, at present/ many boxes in use ; for as the
betters would discover cheats, and get tired of one box,
the bankers would introduce another. The second bos
introduced is still more ingenious than the first It has
four springs inside, and a plate to raise the cards up, the
same as in the first box. In this box, the cards are
entirely hid or shut up, as the back of the box has a
shutter which hangs on hinges, and as soon as the cards
are put in, the door is closed, and they are completely
shut up. This box has a roller running from end to end,
so fixed that the top shuts down over it, and it is then
out of sight This roller has at the left end, and to be
turned by the left band, a crank to turn it, like that of a
coffee-mill. Press on the end next to the dealer, and
the springs push the cards close up to the top of the box;
and when the crank is turned, the cards come out one at
a time, and back upwards, and the dealer, when he
begins the game, deals the first for himself, and the
second for the better. This box is described in this
work merely to show the variety of boxes.

This box, which is taken to be so very fair, is as full
of deception as any other, and is called the crank-box ;
and when the cards are shut up in it, and the crank
turned, they come out one by one until all are out.
This looks to be very fair, and it seems quite impossible
that the dealer should possess any more advantages than
Mr. Hoyle has laid down as being possessed by the
dealer when the game is played in as fair a manner as
the nature of it will allow. The axle or cylinder, to
which this crank- is attached, is connected with a secret

182 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in toe Game of Faro.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

spring on the inside of the box, and by pushing the
roller close into the box, a small spring is moved, and
acts upon the second card, and pushes it into the outlet
for the cards, and the dealer then takes hold of it with
his thumb and finger, and pulls it out, still keeping the
crank moving, in order to make the betters believe that
all is fair, and that the card actually comes out by the
motion of the crank. Some may say, " Of what use
will it be to him to deal off the second card, as he can-
not tell what it is? " Now, let me inform them that he
can tell near enough to benefit him immensely. The
box itself is not quite as long as the cards are; the
dealer then trims certain cards so that they will pass
through without having to be squeezed through, and the
balance he leaves long. The box is also a little shorter
at the top than at the bottom ; the cards are continually
pressed up to the top by springs at the bottom ; and
when one of the cards, which are left long, is just two
cards from the top, it touches the two ends of the box,
and the pressure causes a small joint in the top of the
box to open, and this informs the dealer how near at
hand a long card is, and by this means he tells whether
the cards are long or short. And if the second card is a
long one, and the better has bet on a long card, he
pushes his crank up to the box, and a spring moves a
small blade, which starts forward the second card, and
he deals it on the banker's side, and the better loses by
getting the card which the banker would have got.
With this advantage against a man, he can never win,
unless the banker chooses to let him, in order to entice
him still further, or to get some of his friends to bet who
have more money ; and he will then ruin both of them.
This box is so constructed that it can be locked by a

Of GAMBLING. 138

Deceptions need In the Chine of Ave.

secret spring) and at the same time, the spring which
acts on the second card is prevented from acting until it
is unlocked by the banker. In some boxes this is done
Jby moving a screw, and in others, by moving one of the
inside springs either backward or forward. The dealer,
with this box, (as well as with the first,) will generally be
willing to become a better, and let any other man deal
or become banker, if the man is afraid of the odds in
favor of the dealer. But in such cases he will generally
lock the box by his secret screw, in order that the one
who is then dealing cannot take the second card, if he
should by accident press too hard upon the crank ; for if
the second card should be started while the box is in the
hands of the new dealer, it would only come out a little
distance, as far as the spring would push it, and it would
then stop, and has to be pulled out ; but the new dealer
would not know this, and would expect the crank to
bring it all the way out ; which failing to be done, would
cause an examination into the mechanism of the box,
and its fraudulent character would then be exposed.
And to avoid this, he locks it with a secret spring, to
prevent Mr. Cocker (so the gamblers call those they can
cheat) from detecting his box. Still they most gen*
eraUy have two boxes exactly alike in every outside
appearance. One of them will be made perfectly fair,
the other with springs ; and if the banker supposes he is
suspected of having advantage boxes, and is watched, he
seeks the- first opportunity, when he is not gambling, to
open and take apart the fair box, in the presence of all
whom he supposes to doubt its fairness. This will
convince all that the box is fair ; and they venture to bet
more freely when he again starts a game. But this box,
which he showed, is not the box he plays from; it is

12

184 ARTS AND MISERIES

DeeeptioM wed hi the Game of Fwn.

only like it in external appearances. Generally, hi
taking this box apart, he does not seem to do it pur-
posely for them to examine it, but will say, perhaps, that
he wishes to clean it But he well knows that it will be
examined when he opens it in the presence of men who
bet against the game. Sometimes he will be sitting
among men, not playing the game, but amusing himself
with the fair box ; and one may say to him, " Sir, 1
would like to look into the machinery of your very nice
box." ' He readily grants 'permission to do so, as it was
just what he wanted. The box will be opened, and
pronounced perfectly fair ; and the probability is, that he
will never expose his box twice to the same company, as
once is entirely sufficient. He will always, after that,
have the other box with him, but will let no one have an
opportunity of seeing into it.

Every man can plainly see, from these explanations,
what advantages the dealer has over those who bet on
the game ; as the gambler makes deception his study,
and his mind is always on some new method of cheating
men out of their money. These sharpers are schooled
to nothing else, and can put in practice various cheats,
with almost entire safety from suspicion by men whose
minds are not wholly taken up with gambling. Fre-
quently men .will suffer themselves to be reduced from
wealth to beggary in a single night's pray. Then their
self-respect is, in a measure, gone; and then desperation
is apt to follow, and, step by step, he hasten**) complete
his ruin, temporal and eternal. Men, who, from their
infancy, have had their finer feelings cultivated, and, until
late in life, have lived an upright and virtuous life, seldom
make (what a gambler would call) good gamblers. Their
feelings artt toe refined, and it is quite useless for such

OF GAMBLING. 185

DeeepttonR used in the Game of Faro.

men to attempt to rival men, who, by habit and associ-
ation from youth, are qualified for this desperate life.
Sach men are usually narrow-minded and selfish, and
when they do a man a favor, it is with the calculation of
laying him under obligations to do them two in return.
The various advantages here spoken of are not all used
by one person, or, if so, you would, perhaps, have to be
in his company a long time to see him go through the
whole routine. As long as one cheat answers his pur-
pose, he uses it, and when it fails or is discovered, he
uses another for the same purpose.

The next box I have to introduce to the notice of the
reader, is one that is open at the top, so as to expose
about three fourths of the face of the top card. The
'cards are dealt face upwards. This is to make the
better feel certain that he is not being cheated. The
top card, when the deal is first commenced, is called the
deal card ; this card neither wins nor loses, and on that
account is sometimes called the soda card.

The deception of this box is difficult of explanation, so
as to make one who knows nothing of gambling under-
stand it? and there may be some trifling advantage,
which I may not insert ; but no essential cheat will be
left unexplained. The fact of there being any cheats,
should be sufficient to deter persons from betting on the
game.' The banker, in this game, has generally, by the
aid of his cheats, fifty chances to win, where the persons
who bet have but one. This last-named box has ruined
thousands, where the others have ruined hundreds. The
first two boxes were played some five or six years ; and
this last box a much longer time. The first box of this
kind was sufficiently wide for a man to run his nail in
behind the cards, and start two at a time ; the nail, for

196 ARTS AND MISERIES

_ ri« — r - ■ -- - - ■ ■ ■ —

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

this purpose, was suffered to grow longer than usual, and
was sharpened to a point; this enabled him to put it
under the top card, and start the second also, and as soon
as their edges were fairly through the hole for their
egress, he pulls them out with his thumb and finger. -

The cards are prepared in different ways, so that the
dealer may know when to take out two, or only the
second card ; sometimes by making them adhere, and at
other times by having them in strippers ; after stripping
them, he shuffles an over and under shuffle, and milks
them. Then they are cut and put into the box, when one
half wins, and the other half loses. And if a man should
be betting on the winning side, he puts out two with his
long nail, and that changes the better to the losing side,
for the remainder of the deal. At other times, the odd
cards, namely, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, jack, and king are trimmed
differently from the remainder of the cards, and their
ends reversed. This cheat is of late introduction, and
not so generally known, and is often performed on that
account. They are then pulled and run in, an odd
against an even, and they tell by the different sizes of
cards : these are trimmed, as I have before spoken of.

The next box introduced by these gentry was not quite
so wide, but was also made to take two at a time, when-
ever they wished to do so. The back of the top of this
box is not so wide as the one before spoken of, and is
made thinner, so that by bearing on the back bar, they
can take two whenever they desire to do so, the mouth
being wide enough to let them out easily. But the
dealer can, by pressure of his right hand on the front
bar, prevent more than one from coining out at a time.
This is the way that two are taken out of the box num-
ber four.

OF GAMBLING, 137

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

Box number five is made to .all appearances the samt
as tins box ; the box is the same ; but it is made stiffer
on the back bar, and the front part is a little less open ;
by pressing the two cards very hard, they will come out,
but not without it. For this purpose, the dealer has on
the middle finger of his left hand, what is called a gaff
or spur ; this is fastened on by a cement made for that
purpose ; it is about an inch and a quarter in length, and
is cemented on the middle joint of the finger just named,
and projects out from the part to which it is fastened.
About half an inch of the gaff does not touch the finger,
but lies » little more than the thickness of the back plate
from the finger, and is itself just the thickness of two
cards, and when he pushes it against the two top cards,
it pushes them both out.

This gaff has been used against the smartest of gam*
biers without being detected by them. It is very neatly
fastened on the inside of his finger, and he holds his
hand in such a position as to hide it from all the betters,
who may detect its use sooner from the precise move-
ments of his hand, than by any other way, unless it be
to look directly into his hand. In pushing out the cards,
lie mo"Ves his left hand straight forward, and never turns
it so as to be seen on the inside.

Box number six is made a little shorter and a little
wider than those already described; on the back bar
there is a secret blade, something like the blade in num-
ber two. This blade is attached to the outer screw next
to this bar ; that is, the outside screw and the left-hand
one. This screw has to be pushed in, and then the
blade comes out. This the dealer calls a lever-box, be-
cause this screw strikes a piece that operates on this

12 •

188 ARTS AND MISERIES

* - . ... i ■■■■.. i ■■ '«

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

lever, and it pushes this blade out, and the blade is thick
enough to push forward the two top cards. This box
generally has a " tell " that protrudes its head out of the
opposite screw that has the lever attached to it This
tell is set differently from the other tells. It tells either
the third or fifth card, and the screw is made hollow, so
that it may come through, and very close observation
will be requisite to see it This box the dealer can lock
by moving a screw having a motion like the changing
screw of a music-box. If moved to the right, it locks,
and if to the left, it unlocks. This can be done in an
instant, and the dealer will not use it if he thinks he is
being watched. This box serves a double purpose,
either to deal with it themselves, or let some one else
start a bank and deal from this same box. Then the
owner of the box can beat this new banker about as well
as if he were dealing himself; for when he puts the box
into another's bands, who starts a bank, the old banker
then becomes better against this new banker, and the
tell answers to beat the dealer, as well as for the dealer
to beat the betters, when it is understood by the one bet-
ting against it Sometimes an old player will take in a
new player as partner with him, and the two then will
open a bank, and the old player has some secret part-
ner among the betters, whom he will let win all the
money out of the bank, and of course the new player
is then bankrupt, and the old player pretends to be.
They then dissolve partnership, and the old player
goes to the secret partner and gets his loss paid back,
and half what the new player lost, and then resumes the
bank again; this they practise every opportunity. Some
times persons who neither bet nor deal will buy an in-

OF GAMBLING. ISO

Deception* used in the Game of F&to.

terest with the banker, and he will suffer himself to be
beaten by a secret partner, in order to get this man's
money and get rid of him at the same time*

The next box is box number seven. This one has
the same outside appearances as the box last described,
only that it is sufficiently large for any cards in general
use. This box is what the dealers call a " balance-top."
The top is set on two springs at the ends of the box, the
end-pieces being set about the eighth of an inch higher
than the rest of the box ; so that they are always acting
comparatively fair, unless borne down, and then the front
rises. This top is not fastened on with screws, but with
a pivot, and the screws which appear to hold it are false,
as the pivot holds it. In the lid of this box is a groove,
and the springs work into the groove, and when the box
is borne down, the mouth opens sufficiently for two cards
to advance ; but unless it is borne down, the spring is
strong enough to prevent more than one from coming
out These boxes are sometimes made to be pressed in
different places ; some on the back corners, and some in
the middle. I have seen boxes of this kind, that by
bearing on the middle, the back bar would be so weak
that it would spring and not spring the front Fre-
quently one half of the mouth is large enough for two
cards to pass through, while the other half is so small that
but one can pass. But by bearing on the corner with the
thumb, it opens sufficiently for the two to pass out The
cards, too, have to be prepared so that they will adhere
one to another. ThiB they do by rubbing them some*
times with pumice-stone, and sometimes with rosin and
glass mixed. They frequently sand-paper them. When
this is the case, the cards are so scratched, that by hold-
ing them to the light, it can be perceived. The pumice-

140 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

stone, rosin, and glass do not show bo much as sand*
paper, but still cause them to adhere. This is used in
dealing out of the hand, as well as out of the boxes. After
baring prepared the cards as strippers, they will make
the feces at one end rough, and also the backs at the
other end ; and when they wish to deal two at once, they
will do it when one with a rough back is on the top ;
then the rough face on the one next to it adheres, and
the two stick so closely, that it is quite impossible to
detect the cheat I have often seen two cards dealt on
ssen who thought themselves too smart to be cheated by
any gambler; and to prevent misdeals, they always take
two cards an even number of turns, and the deal comes
out square.

Sometimes the betters will keep a calculation of what
cards are out, so as to know what cards to bet on ; and
wheh the dealer finds men so careful, he always puts one
of his secret partners on the same side, to keep a list
of the cards as they come out. And when the betters
wish to know what cards have been dealt, they can ask
this man, and he always is ready to make every thing
perfectly plain ; he then hands the list for them to ex-
amine for their own satisfaction. •

When the dealer deals out two cards at a time, after a
few times he will show the list-keeper the under cards,
that could not be seen when first dealt, and by this means
avoids any suspicion. And the betters, if they are keep*
ing account, will not see these cards, and sometimes will
remark that it is quite singular that they should forget
that card which they have not seen ; but as it is out and
on the calculation-keeper's list, they really supposed that
it was overlooked by them. I once knew an instance of
a dealer dealing off two cards four times during the

OF GAMBLING. 141

Deceptions used in the Game of Faro.

deal, and there was a man betting, who bet altogether on
the aces. The deal was completed without an ace
being turned up, and the better said there was none of
the kind in the pack. His bets being small, the dealer
had not paid much attention to them ; and every time he
dealt off two, it so happened that the bottom one was an
ace; and thus the four aces came off without being seen.
The dealer took away the cards angrily, and observed
that some one was always taking away some of his cards.
He then called for another pack. This was necessary to
prevent discovery. I knew also of another circumstance,
which shows how barefacedly they sometimes practise
their villanies. There was an individual betting on this
game, and the cards not adhering well, he put out two,
and they slipped, and the bottom card showed itself to
the better, who remarked, " Mr. Dealer, the first thing
you know, you will be making a misdeal, for two cards
have just come off together." The dealer replied, " O,
that makes no difference, as I shall shortly deal off two
more together." And soon again two more came off
together, and the man lost his bet, and said to the dealer,
" I don't know that there is any difference in your taking
one or two, but one thing is certain, the deals are very
short, and I lose." This better was quite ignorant of the
game, and none were present to see justice done him.
The dealer was well aware of the man's ignorance, and
that it made no material difference whether he discovered
the cheats or not. Had there been any one by that the
dealer cared for, he would have been more particular.

Box number eight. — This box has every appearance
of a box perfectly fair, and is without any of those extra
springs on the top to lock it. The deception of this box
lies in the front part of it, which is separate from the

143 ARTS AND MISERIES

i - _ - . _ _._ — — .__-._■

Deceptions used In the Game of Faro.

other part of the box, and sets in a groove, so as to allow
it to fall or rise up. From outward appearances you
might judge the plate to be solid ; but you can unscrew
it, and take it out of the groove without any difficulty.
This plate is set on two pieces of metal — those to which
the springs that raise the plate oh which the cards are
placed, are attached. These pieces have under them a
small spring ; this is set in the bottom of the box, and
those two pieces are always fastened with screws, from
the outside of the bottom of the box ; but the two screws
on the si<j^ next to the front are the only screws that
take any hold on this piece ; the others are false. The
heads of the four screws serve as feet for the box to
stand on; and when the two false screws are pressed,
they will raise the end of the piece on the inside of the
box, and the other end, near the front side, sinks down ;
as there is enough taken out of the bottom of the box to
let the pieces that hold the springs in their place drop in.
There is, also, a secret spring under the piece that bears
the front plate up all the time ; so that there is never
more thair room enough for one card to pass out at once,
unless it is wanted to be there ; if so, the dealer will
bear down on the hind part of the box, just over the
false screws, and they push up the back edge of the
plate, and the front side falls and lets down the front
plate sufficiently for the two cards to come out of the
mouth of the box. And as soon as these cards are out,
and the pressure on the hind part of the box is at an
end, the front plate rises again, so that but one can
come out. The two pieces hang on pivots, and there is
a small spring that bears the end next to the front plate
up, and the other down; and when the back end is
lifted up by the pressure on the two false screws, the

Or GAMBLING. 149

MMtaMl

Deceptions wed in the Game of Faro.

front will fall, and with it, the front plate. But when
the pressure is removed, the spring brings every thing to
its place. The box is locked by pushing the two out*
side springs that bear up the plate which holds the cards.
They, for this purpose, are pushed in towards the front
of the box ; and if a new dealer gets hold of this box, he
may press as hard as he will, and but one card can be
got out at a time. Then, if the springs be pulled back
again, every thing is loose, and two can be got out as
easily as one. This box is used a great deal at present,
and has deceived many old gamblers, who thought them-
selves able, at one glance, to tell the secret of any box,
but were deceived by this. The generality of players
now do not fully understand this box, and those that do
are they that are making use of it

This box, very often, after close examination, is
thought to be a very fair box. The reason of that is,
that the machinery lies hid, and cannot be seen by look-
ing into the inside, as in other boxes, when the lid is off j
but if this box is opened, there is no visible machinery.
The reason that so many different men lose on this
game is, that the improvements and advantages intro-
duced by the dealers are such, that they can with great
facility beat any and every one that will bet on it.
Sometimes one dealer will go to another dealer's bank,
and bet against him, and, after looking at his .box, and
finding it different from the one to which he is accus-
tomed, (and never having been shown the advantages of
it,) he will be apt to pronounce it a fair one, and then
say to himself that he will bet against him, to show him
that he cannot win with the per cent that Hoyle gives.
He then bets foolishly, thinking that he can break up
the hank, and the bank breaks him, and he is classed

144 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used In the Game of Faro.

among the many unfortunate persons that commenced
with the same hopes, bat lost their all in trying to break
the bank. , This is an almost every-day occurrence
among the men who are playing the banking game for a
living. Many of those men have become so hardened
and desperate, that they actually think that this game,
when played on the square, (that is, played without
cheating,) has no advantages of the betters ; but they are
like the man who repeats a lie so often that he believes
it to be true. When a man learns to deal faro, he learns
from another who will tell him that the game has no
advantages of the betters. " We must cheat," say they,
" or we cannot make any thing." The new player takes
his word, and begins to learn to cheat ; still believing
that the game has no advantages but such as he intro-
duces. And in a few years this man would be willing
to declare that the game played on the square has no ad-
vantages. But if the reader will look at Mr. Hoyle's
tables, who always calculated for fair play, he will see a
refutation of this idle conceit

The cheats of this game are continually changing, and
one box will soon be superseded by another. Number 1
will fall by the introduction of number 2 ; and so with
the whole series, each appearing fairer than its prede-
cessor, yet in reality it is fouler ; and so will they continue
to be until they are all superseded by the universal prev-
alence of genuine morality. For penal codes have ever
failed, and ever will fail, to suppress great and wide-
spread vices, like that of gambling, the votaries of which
are ever planning ways and means to evade laws which
conflict with their darling avocations, which destroy
peace and happiness on earth, and prepare men for that
doom in a future world from which there is no redemp-
tion.

OF GAMBLING. \4&

Deeppcionn u«ed in the Game of Faro.

The latest kind of boxes introduced are boxes with
the face or top open, all except a little place at each end,
and the cards in the box lie face upwards, and the top
card is exposed all the game through. These boxes, as
to all external appearances, are exactly like the others,
except the opening at the top. It is made solid, and
soldered together ; but the bottom is so made that it fits
on so that it cannot be taken off: yet it is separate from
the. box, and is held on by a kind of cornice. The ends,
sides, and top, are one piece, and cannot be separated :
the bottom appears to be one piece, and seems solid : it
is put on after the box is made. This box has springs to
lock it with, the same as in the other boxes. This box
has two bottoms, and between them there is much
machinery, which enables the gambler to practise the
same cheats with it as with its predecessors. The front
piece of this box is deceptive as well as the bottom.
This box, also, is locked by secret springs, the same as
others are, when the plate is dropped. But instead of
the plate dropping to let out two cards, the top rises
from it. This is done by the deceptive machinery of
the box. I cannot give such a description of this box as
to enable those who know nothing of the game to have
any thing like an adequate idea of its deceptive opera-
tions. The machinery works as accurately as clock-
work, and I have no doubt of its being as nice and com-
pact a piece of rascality as the ingenuity of those men
ever contrived. It is so neatly made and put together,
that scarcely one of a thousand would dream of its being
deceitful, or that dealers could cheat with it. But I can
assure all, that there are none of the boxes used, but
that the dealer can use greatly to his own advantage in
deceiving and cheating . you. The players, many of

13

146 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deception* need in the Game of Faro.

them, are at this day trying to introduce the box number
1, on the plea that it was invented at a time when the
people did not understand cheating or taking advan-
tages. But let me tell all, that this is only a trap : none
of them are free from deception; trust none of them;
they are serpents that will bite, and that severely, if
meddled with. Men who follow this business become
so hardened, that they readily believe that they must
make use of every possible means, not only to cheat
those who are not gamblers, but they will tax their in-
genuity to the utmost to cheat one another. And they
are continually trying new plans and cheats, on the plea
that if we do not succeed in introducing a new cheat
effectually, we lose nothing by it but the trouble of try-
ing. They are, therefore, constantly practising cheats
on one another.

There are many dealers of faro, who are not aware of
all the cheats and deceptions that may be put in practice
with these boxes. This class of dealers can be told at a
glance almost by the accomplished dealer, as soon, in-
deed, as he has taken the least notice of their peculiar
manner of dealing. The sober gamblers have a great
advantage of the drunken gamblers ; as, when the latter
get drunk, the former can cheat them with the same
ease that they would a man who knew nothing of
gaming. Yet there are few gamblers who do not drink
more or less ; and when they have been fortunate, they
are liberal in treating every body and drinking with them,
and often get drunk in that way. Then comes a sober
gambler, and invites him to the card-table, and ten to
one, when he leaves the room, he leaves it penniless or
next to it. And then the man who won his money is
more than likely to lose it in the same way again ; thus

OF GAMBLING. 147

Snm and Addrest of the Gambler. — Anecdote of ft Bwftoa.

their ill-gotten gaiu flies from hand to hand, and none of
them are ever rich.

This class of men pay great attention to their dress ;
which, when not gaudy, is at least rich and fashionable.
This they consider very essential to aid them in their
designs ; as by it they expect to command respect and
attention, and to induce people to think they have plenty
of money. And those who are at all disposed to gamble,
will sooner play with such men as I have been speaking
of, until they had lost their all, when, if they had beat
them, they could not have made any thing ; but such is
the propensity of certain players for play, that when they
once get at it, they only stop when their money gives
out. I was well acquainted with the circumstance of s
joung man starting to go to the Hot Springs of Ar-
kansas. He was a man who had acquired, by honesty and
industry, about nine hundred dollars. He had been in
bad health for some time, and concluded to visit the
springs to recruit his health. On his arrival at the
mouth of White River, he was detained for a boat, and
while there, he was induced to play cards. I am unable
to say, at this time, what was the game that he played,
but he won some forty or fifty dollars, and the game
broke up. After the game was broken up, one of the
gamblers pulled out a button, and bantered the young
man to win it at faro ; and he pulled out a quarter, and
bet it against the button, and the banker won. He tried
again and again, uutil he lost some three or four dollars,
trying to win the button, and then quit and went to bed.
The banker had now several persons betting small bets
on the game, and had won some eight or ten dollars, and
there was quite a noise and bustle going on. The young
man, who had quit and gone to bed, got up, and felt a

148 ARTS AND MISERIES

How a Bran Button eo«t Nine Hundred Dollars.

strong propensity to win all. He began betting on the
game again, and in a short time lost the whole of his
nine hundred dollars trying to win a button ; for that
was all he could have won, as the man had no money at
first but what he had won from the young man. This
presents a lamentable picture of the influence of this
wicked practice when once commenced. This young
man was obliged to make his way home without his
health being benefited, and without his money.

What a theme for the moralist and Christian to con-
template ! A mind so reckless, so under the influence
of his wicked propensities, as to risk and lose his all, and
reduce himself to beggary, when the most that he could
have done was to have obtained possession of a worthless
brass button! This was a young man, too, of good
standing, and was regarded by his acquaintance as a
man of good sense. But see what excitement will do
when a man will give way to it !

In the state of Tennessee, when laws were made to
put a stop to this game, the dealers took out the sevens,
and played the game with forty-eight cards instead of
fifty-two, and called the game " forty-eight." This, they
would tell the betters, was to evade the law, which made
faro a highly criminal game. But they only made this
excuse to make the per-centage greater in their favor, as
it rendered the chances to be " split" much greater than
before. This, the dealers often say, is no advantage;
but this is false. The better never wins on a split, and
the dealer always wins half; and yet he has the hardi-
hood to say that it is no advantage to him. Then there
is what Mr. Hoyle calls " hock el ty ; " this is when the
card on which the better is betting is the last card, and
the dealer takes all the stakes. This hockelty increases

OF GAMBLING. 149

How a Person tint loses his Money, and then Ms Brains.

their advantages about fifteen per cent. ; and there is a
man to keep calculation of what cards are out, in order
that the betters may have no excuse for being caught in
hockelty ; but they cannot avoid it ; for when a bet is
made, it cannot be withdrawn until it is decided. They
say that the betters may avoid being caught in hockelty
by connecting or including some adjoining cards. But
should those they would be allowed to connect be out,
they cannot reach more than to the second one from the
oue the better is on. When there are five cards in the
box — one case (odd card) and two doubles, (such as
two fours and two sevens,) this is called " double-cat-
harp ; " when these are in, one odd and one doublet,
it is called " single-cat-harp." Then, if a man wishes
to, he can bet and lose one half or the whole. If the
single is in hockelty, the dealer wins all; and if the
better has bet on the double, and there should be a split,
the dealer wins one half. By this advantage I have
known men who dealt this game in the south, in the
course of one season to make thousands of dollars. By
hockelty and splitting, many men have experienced
great disappointment on this same device of hockelty.

There is one instance which I shall never forget. It
occurred in New Orleans in or about the year 1833. A
planter who lived near Vicksburg was very fond of play,
and went to New Orleans to trade and sell his produce ;
and while there was invited to a faro bank. He lost, and
during his play he was caught in hockelty for twenty-two
hundred dollars at one bet. The dealer had won from
him about eighteen thousand dollars, and this bet was
the last of his mdney. The effect of this loss may be
more easily imagined than described. He, in a few
moments, drew a pistol and blew out his brains. I have

13*

180 ARTS AND MISERIES

AAay with the Gamblers in Vicksburg, in 1835.

no doubt but that the citizens of Warrington, Mississippi,
will know the person here spoken of, as I understand
that his family and relatives lived in or near that place.
Such have been the baneful effects of this game, that it
was almost a daily occurrence for some one to stab or to
be stabbed in the vile haunts of these wicked men, to
whose influence there are no bounds. Frequently a
beloved son, whom some fond father has sent to the
south on business, and expects that his morals and
manners will be improved by his increased knowledge of
the world, is rendered, by coming in contact with some
of this class of persons, a very desperate man, and is won
over to every species of dissipation that he has been
brought in contact with.

In the years 1831, 2, 3, 4, and 5, 1 have no doubt but
that as many as three fourths of all the citizens of Vicks-
burg were more or less addicted to gambling. Who
does not remember the horrid affray that occurred in the
year 1835, in that city, growing out of this vice? A
number of persons assailed a gambling house, when some
of the gamblers shot one of the citizens and killed him.
The mob increased, and five persons, two of whom were
known to be gamblers, (and if the other three were not,
they were found in their company,) were hung without
judge or jury ! Think of these scenes, ye moralists !
and say, shall gambling and its attendant evils go on, and
not an effort be made to check its deeply demoralizing
influences ? During this time, gambling so prevailed in
Vicksburg, that those citizens who did not encourage
the gamblers, were continually exposed to the insults of
those desperadoes; and those who did encourage them
by playing with them, were constantly exposed to their
vi|lanous frauds and cheats. This class of men had

OF GAMBLING. 151

Account of a Gambler In Columbia.

become so entirely regardless of all order and decency,
that they cared nothing for law, nor had they any respect
for any person ; and would, for the slightest offence, as
soon spit in the face of the most respected citizen as they
would kick at a snarling dog. This coarse of conduct,
doubtless, had much to do in bringing about the out*
break, by which a number of these persons suffered a
cruel and lawless death ; all these evils being occasioned
by tolerating and encouraging Mr. Hoyle's scientific
amusements, (as they are sometimes called,) the in*
traduction of which has caused more misery and ruin
than any other species of vice practised in modern times.

'Many men will play for amusement only; but they
soon find some to flatter them, and tell them that they
play well ; yea, well enough to venture to play against any
of the gamblers. Thus their vanity becomes flattered,
and they seek to try their skill against some well-known
player, and soon become ranked among the habitual if
not confirmed gamblers. And if they are business men,
their profits, and frequently more, are spent over gambling
tables and in bar-rooms. And if they be men who have
their riches in ready cash, it soon all goes in this
abominable way.

Although many parts of the south are much infested
by gamblers, and many of the inhabitants encourage
them by playing with them, it still sometimes meets with
great opposition; and there are many instances of the
citizens refusing to encourage this vice. I will here
.give a short account of an occurrence in Columbia,
Arkansas, in the year 1835. A man went there and
commenced dealing faro. There was no doubt of his
being a very desperate man ; but still he was encouraged
by many in this game, though known to be a very bad

152 ARTS AND MISERIES

Horrid Assaiaioation of a Gambler in Arkan

man, and brother to the notorious land-pirate of Ten-
nessee, who had been but a short time before taken off
for his many misdemeanors in that state. This faro
dealer in Arkansas was one night playing as usual, when
suddenly the lights were put out by some in the room,
and he was then literally cut up ; one of his hands was
cut entirely off, and he was most horribly mangled.
Several stabs penetrated the region of the heart He,
however, escaped out of the house, and ran a short dis-
tance, and fell dead. Several persons were arrested, but
no convictions ensued. The citizens generally approved
the act, and thought it a good thing for the community
that they were rid of such a man, even by such meqns.
1 what a lamentable state of society and morals, when
gambling is encouraged by one portion, and cold-blooded
murder and robbery justified or excused by the other.
The town of Columbia has suffered as much from faro as
any other place, for the number of its inhabitants. Of-
ten, when men lose their all on a game, they become
reckless and desperate, and are willing to sacrifice any
principle, or stoop to any depth, to be equal with those
who have swindled them. A circumstance of this kind
happened also at Columbia : two eastern young men,
very richly attired, came to that place to open a faro
bank. They played and won, as dealers generally do,
and had won a great deal from the raftsmen. Many of
these had lost their all, and had become quite desperate,
and set about planning means to get it back again ; and
one of the most daring called around him a number of
those who he knew had lost, and said, " Boys, I will
give you all a stake ; do you go up and be at play, and
soon I will come in, and while you are all busy playing,
I will blow out the candles, and then every one of you

OF GAMBLING. 15S

A Night Eraptioa. — Dowitng the Glim.

grab at his checks, and we will then compel them to
redeem them all ; and by that means we will get our
money back again. We have worked too hard to have
these gentry go off with our money in this way, with-
out giving us a fair show. 19

All joined in this plan with one accord, and only waited
the approach of night to put it into execution. These
checks are of ivory, and are near the size of a dollar,
and are made to represent money. The bankers will
have some four or five hundred of these. About half
are made white and plain, and are generally used to
represent one dollar each. The balance are red, and
have the figure 5 on each side, and each one represents
five dollars. Sometimes they will have ten dollar checks.
On beginning, a better may hand the dealer fifty dollars,
and he gives him twenty-five one dollar checks, and five
five dollar checks ; and then, when the player stops, he
redeems all the checks that are out at the prices he put
them out at Night came on, and the dealers began
their game, and were winning all before them, when
suddenly the lights were put out, and a rush made for
the table. These men had heard of the similar affair
which happened there before, when the dealer lost his
life, and they were almost frightened to death, and made
their way out of the room as fast as possible, leavmg
every thing behind them — their money, checks, and
boxes. I have no doubt but that they seriously appre-
hended sharing the same fate of their predecessor ; but
the men who blew out the lights, did not wish or mean
to. injure their persons in the least degree, and finally
succeeded in persuading them to go back into the room
and close their game. They returned, though much

154 ARTS AND MISERIES

The Raftsmen play the Grab Game.

frightened. Their surprise was very great when they
found their checks all gone, and not a dollar of their
money disturbed.

They asked one man how many checks he had ; as
they knew he had about one hundred dollars worth,
which they had sold him. He handed them about that
amouul of checks, and they paid him the money for
them. Next a heavy-set man — a real blusterer, and
apparently about half drunk — came forward, taking a
handful from both coat pockets, and piled them up on
the table, and demanded the money for them. They
began to protest against paying for them, but still were
afraid to say that he did not win them. They said they
did not think he was entitled to so much money, for his
checks amounted to near four hundred dollars. He
then pulled out a long bowie knife, about fifteen inches
in length, and said, " If any man says these are his
checks, let him lay hands on them." Another voice,
from a distant part of the room, cried, " Out with the
lights ! " at which the faro gentlemen took fright, and
paid him. As soon as he was paid off, there stepped
forward a very tall, meagre-looking man, who appeared
as though the fever and ague had been very bountiful in
their visits to him. He reached over from one to two
hundred dollars to them to be redeemed. This they
swore they would not pay one dollar of; they said he
never had fifteen dollars in his life, and from all appear-
ances they seemed nearly right. He replied, "Well,
gentlemen, I will make out as if you have to give me
the money for every check I have here." He then
asked the raftsman to loan him his long knife, who an-
swered, " No, do you commence the fight, and T will do

OF GAMBLING. 155

Instability of Wealth among professional Gamblers.

the earring." At this they again took fright, and paid
the checks. The fellow took the money, and was a long
time counting it, for fear they had cheated him.

Checks still continued to be handed in until the gam-
blers had nearly redeemed all ; when an old, lame man
(who stood back, waiting patiently his turn) stepped up,
and said, " Every body knows you will pay me." This
man had made a grab among the white checks, that
were worth but one dollar each, and was sadly surprised
and disappointed that his checks amounted to no more.
He still held them in his hand, some sticking out be-
tween his fingers, just as he had grabbed them ; for fear
that, if he laid them down, some one might snatch them
from him. They silently paid the old man, and closed
their game in that place, having quite enough of the
raftsmen. This affair took place, I think, about the
beginning of the year 1839.

There are many men who follow this business that are
considered very rich ; but there is no stability in riches
acquired in this way. It comes easily, and goes in the
same way. Some four years since, I knew a man who
was considered immensely wealthy, and who had about
him, and following him, some fifty of this class. He
was then thought to be worth from two to three hundred
thousand dollars. He had one horse that was valued at
twenty-five thousand dollars ; but his riches have nearly
all fled as they came, and he is not now worth ten
thousand dollars. I have often known his expenses to
reach from fifty to seventy-five dollars per day, for weeks
in succession. I also knew an aged man in Washington
city, who was a sportsman, and one among five that
might be selected among this class, out of perhaps one
hundred thousand in the United States, that might be

156 ARTS AND MISERIES

— _ jl . _ __■■!■ ■ ■ — ■— ■ — ■^-^■^Mm-

Instability of Wealth among professional Gamblen.

considered responsible for what they would promise,
either in gambling or any other transaction. This old
man was worth, at one time, without doubt, two hundred
thousand dollars, but by the hand of intrigue, he, like
many others, fell to rise no more in his splendor ; and
now he is living on the bounty of his old associates.

In New York city I knew a rich man, who lost at the
game of faro something like eighty thousand dollars in a
few days, and then tried to borrow some portion of it
back. Although the sum he required, I think, was
only three thousand dollars, which sum, he seid, was not
his money, but that it was left on deposit with him, the
winners turned a deaf ear to the solicitations of this now
ruined man — and he committed suicide by shooting
himself; and after his death, they presented his wife
some five thousand dollars, which was indeed but a poor
compensation for the loss of a husband, happiness, and
fortune.

Besides the boxes I have spoken of, I will now expose
an ingenious table made to deceive those who bet against
this game, however smart they might be. This table is
put in a room adjoining another room, and stands up
against the partition. There is a hole in the partition
about ten inches square. The top of the table hides
this hole from view, and there is a trough or box in this
table, and one end of it is up against this hole, and is
left open. The other end of the box extends half way
across the table where the dealer sits. There is, be-
sides, a hole in the middle of the table sufficiently large
to let ten or twelve cards pass up through it. The table
is covered all over with a cloth, and has a small square
cloth in the middle to shuffle on. Near one end of this
doth is the small hole which lets up the cards. The

Of GAMBLING. 157

DtetptkNU used in fti» Game of Fuo.

dealer will have many packs of cards to deal from, and
perhaps net er deals from the same pack twice in succea*
skiB ; and, generally, there will be from six to ten taken
out of every pack, and will be in the possession of a
secret partner, who is stationed in the other room.
Each pack ia numbered, and the partner well knows
what particular pack the set of cards he may have be*
longs to; and they are in his hands to be stocked, or so
arranged as to make betters lose. When the dealer has
shuffled, and is nearly ready to deal, he gives, by means
ef springs which he touches with his feet, signs to his
partner what number he wants ; that is, the pack he is
now shuffling, and every pack he uses, the secret partner
has a portion of them, and arranges them, and conveys
them to the dealer when he wants them. This he does
by means of a rod, to one end of which the cards are
attached, and then they are conveyed along under the
table, and their ends come up through the little hole,
and they are seized while in the act of shuffling, as they
come up directly under his hand, and no one can dis-
cover him in the act. The cards so arranged are then
placed on the top of the pack by cutting ; and then,
when there are but few cards left in the paok, the better,
to avoid splits, will bet on a single card, and be certain
to lose ; and if he should bet on any thing else, be would
be split and lose half. This is one of the smart decep-
tions put in practice to deceive old gamblers. This
class of men, by means of such artifices, are enabled to
live in the most sumptuous manner, their houses fur*
nished with the most costly furniture, and every thing in
the most gaudy style ; and they and their families live in
ease and luxury on riches that are acquired in a way
that is as reprehensible as if they were obtained by high*

14

168 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions wed in tbe Game of Faro.

way robbery. Friends and acquaintances flock to their
houses to enjoy themselves, and partake of their iU-ao
quired luxuries, without thinking of the manner in which
they were gotten.

This class of men live in great splendor at all times,
even in their faro rooms. They will hare their rick
•uppers at eleven and twelve o'clock at night, with plenty
of the richest wines, as champagne, &c, and the faro
dealers will laugh in their sleeves at the pleasing pros-
pect of making the company pay dearly for the enter*
tainment. These rooms are quite numerous in New
York and other places, and the proprietor will have
secret partners,* who are following various kinds of
lawful business, and whose duty it is to delude and l€ad
to these haunts as many victims as possible. And the
success with which they accomplish their infamous task,
let the ruined happiness and fortunes of thousands tes-
tify. Frequently a young man will be asked to walk
out with a business man, with whom he becomes ac-
quainted, and he will be asked into a nice place to sup
or take refreshments with him. And while at supper he
will say to this young man, " A few nights ago, I was in
that room, and won two hundred dollars, and after
supper I will win a thousand, or give them back what I
won." This is all false, and his design is only to induce
you to play, that you may lose your money.

I have here detailed the principal cheats that are
practised in this game ; and though I have not spoken
of every box in use, yet I hope I have given enough to

* Those secret partners, by gamblers, are termed ropers, or stool-
pigeons : their business is to delude the inexperienced into their
dens of iniquity.

OF GAMBLING. ' 10ft

Deeeptioaa twd in Vmriow Gone*. — Emlette aad ftotttef ftaro.

apprize all that there is an immense system of trickery
and cheating going on in all these games. It is not to
be expected that persons ignorant of the game will rally
understand every thing here said ; but it is, nevertheless,
true that I have not written to assist the game of faro, or
any other game; but to apprize persons who bet on
games, .that they can be cheated and swindled at almost
every touch of a card, and should avoid them as they
would a venomous serpent I have studiously endeav-
ored to avoid writing so as to give any further knowledge
of the game than is possessed by the generality of play*
era. It is not my object to teach the games, but to
expose their evils, and thus induce all to quit them. As
to what I have here said, thousands upon thousands can
testify to the truth of it And I think there are very
few persons that can play cards at all, but will, imme-
diately on reading these expositions, see the truth of
them, and the improbability of avoiding the having such
acts practised upon us so long as we shall continue to
play. All know and have seen something of the evils of
gambling, which are annually working the irretrievable
ruin of thousands ; and I trust that what I here say may
contribute, in some degree, to arrest the progress of this
overwhelming, this desolating tide.

18ULETTE AND ROLLING FARO.

. These are two very fascinating games, and are played
mostly on race-fields, and other places where there are
large gatherings. Mr. Hftyle, in his Treatise on Garnet*

103 ARTS ANt> MISERIES

■i ■■■ —i

Deception* vmd in Various Goims. — Boolette and Rolling Faro.

ball is always prevented from going where the keeper
wishes it not to go. Many persons will sometimes bet
on this game, on condition of being allowed to doable as
often as they may choose to do so ; yet they can never
come off winners.

There is another wheel of the roulette kind, where the
keepers bend the brass or tin bars where the ball runs
in ; and when it is wanted to run into red, the ball is
thrown to the right, and when on the black, it is thrown
to the left. Very often the ball is thrown, and if the
man who bets is about to win, it is caught and thrown
over again : in such cases, he always loses ; but if he is
about to lose, it is suffered to run on. These wheels!
even without patent advantages, and played as fairly as
they could be, would make the odds against the man who
bets as much as five to one, which would of course cause
him to lose five times out of six upon an average. But
this the gamblers are never satisfied with, and have in-
vented numerous patent means, by which they are able
to win every time, if they choose to do so, and particu-
larly when large bets are made. These wheels are as
fatal as faro, but not quite so fascinating. They are all
played by about the same class of men. Ask these men
what advantage there is in their favor, and they will
answer, about five per cent. They will explain to you
that if the ball runs into the eagle, or the double O, or
single O, you lose ; these they will say are all the ad-
vantages possessed by them ; but this is all false ; for, be-
sides having color for color against you, they have the
eagle and the single and double O, and in addition to all
this, the secret springs, which they always have it in their
power to use : with these odds, it is plain that a man can
never win when the keeper chooses that he shall lose.

OF GAMBLING. MB

P iCBpt fcM i i wed in Vvkma Ctamet.— Chaektr-taek.

CHUCIEK-LUCI.

This game is sometimes called imeatthtk, and is
mostly played by the lowest class of gamblers ; though
sometimes played by men who hare the hardness of face
to call themselves gentlemen. This game is played with
three dice, which constitute a set, and a box to throw
them from, similar to those used in backgammon. Most
of the faro dealers understand this game well, and if a
.man should wish a game, and will hand one of the faro
dealers a box and a set of dice, he is perfectly at home,
and master of the business. To play this game, there is
a cloth, having the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, painted on it;
and on these figures the persons betting place their
money. These constitute the necessary implements for
the game, and when a man bets on one of these figures,
and the dice turns up the same, he wins; and if he
should bet on a three or four, or any other number, and
all three of the dice should turn the same number, he gets
paid three times the amount he had placed on that number ;
but he always loses when a different number is turned up
to the one he is on. The players of this game, in order
to be sure of winning, have generally three sets of dice,
and all these are loaded with some heavy substance, such
as quicksilver; and when they wish to throw fives and
sixes, they take a set that is loaded, so as to turn up
those numbers. If fours and threes, they will catch up
another set ; and if twos and ones be wanted, the third
set is used : thus the person betting on this game is de-
prived of every chance of winning a single game.

There is, besides this, a plan far superior to that of
loaded dice, put in practice by these gentry ; this is what

164 ARTS AND MISERIES

■ ■ — ' .

Deceptions used in Various Games. — Chucker-luck*

is called palming ; and when this is practised, there is no
occasion for loaded dice. If a man should bet on a six,
the man who throws the dice will take one or two of the
dice of some other number than six up, and hold the dice
with his little finger, then shake his box, and at the in*
stant he throws it, he dexterously conveys the dice under
the box, just as he turns it down, and none can tell but
that all were shaken and thrown together. In such
cases, even if there be no loaded dice, the man who bets
has but one die out of three, that he can hope on get-
ting a six from, and then he has but one side out of six
from which to get his number, for that die has six sides ;
thus his chance for winning is very small. There are
other occasions where the player will palm all three of
the dice, and rattle his fingers inside of the box, and
make them sound as the dice would sound if they were
inside. Besides these cheats, boxes are often made with
a false or loose bottom, so as to rattle, when shaken,
just as though dice were in it; yet he palms all of them,
and throws any thing but that which is bet on ; thus
winning all that is bet A man, against these odds, may
bet and double as long as he has a cent to bet with, and
he would be certain to lose in every solitary case.

There are often men who act as bankers for a large
number of this class of persons of which I am speaking.
These men come into the possession of large sums of
money, and then will loan it on advantageous conditions
to others of their class to operate with. And men may
be frequently seen (whom we might suppose to be men
of honorable business) following persons of this descrip-
tion, as they mutually aid and assist each other, by op*
erating in each other's favor. Many of these men, when
not at play, assume the dignity of gentlemen ; yet it

OF GAMBLING. 166

Deception! used in Varkxu Game*. — Vinft-VR.

would be a hard matter for many of them to point with
truth to any period of their lives when they were con*
sidered reputable by the respectable portion of those who
knew them.

Besides the games here mentioned, I hare no acquaint*
anoe with any that are played with dice. . Bat if there
be any, or should any come into vogue, I have no hesita-
tion in giving it as my honest conviction, that they will
be found to be as full of deception as those I have
named. Should the utmost fairness be used, the* odds
are greatly against a man in betting on dice. The most
favorable chance he has of getting any number he may
bet on, is two against him to one for him ; this is with
a single die, and the odds vary from this until they reach
a maximum of thirty-six against him to one for him;
this is with two dice ; and of course, three dice would
still widen the difference. Any person having a curiosity
to know the exact chances for and against any par-
ticular throw, can gratify his curiosity by inspecting Mr.
Hoyle's tables in the game of backgammon, where these
odds are all accurately calculated, and he will find that I
have not misstated them in any degree.

TINST-UN, OB TWENTY-Om

Thin game was known to Mr. Hoyle, as he speaks of
it in his Treatise. The game is well known in the
Southern and Western States, and is a great deal played
by all classes of gamblers, and, like every other game
played by them, is subject to innumerable cheats from

106 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in Variot» Game*. — Vingt-un.

beginning to end. The deal, in the first place, is im-
mensely advantageous ; the dealer is the banker, and the
last to decide his own hand ; that is, every player around
the table must draw cards, and complete their hands
before the dealer does his own hand, and in so drawing,
half, or even more of them, may overdraw, and will have
to pay the banker, before his own hand is decided. The
banker has much in his favor without trying to cheat ;
and the professional gambler, who, with all his arts and
intrigues, sits down to deal this game, will, in all prob-
ability, win, on an average, seven times where he loses
once ; and still the ordinary player will have no room to
suspect fraud, as he cannot detect it with his eyes, and
if he should partially discover, or intimate that he thinks
some manoeuvre was not according to his notions of pro-
priety, the dealer will, with the strongest protestations of
honesty, quell his fears, and instantly practise another
cheat upon him. And, then, the gambler has the ad*
ditional advantage of knowing every card by the back,
and knows what a man has in his hand when he calls for
another card. He will then try to overrun him, and if
the card on the top of the pack, which he knows by the
back, will not do it, he will deal the second from the
top, which probably will. This he will do by elevating
the end of the pack next you, and letting the top card
slide a little down, so that his thumb can reach to the
end of the second, which he will deal off to you.

In this game it is very common for the dealer to have
secret partners, who, it would be supposed, were playing
each for himself, but in reality they will play for the
benefit of the bank only. One will sit immediately on
the right of the dealer; this partner knows what the
dealer has in his hand, that is, lying on the table back

OF GAMBLING. 1G7

Deceptions used in Various Gaines. — Yingt4m.

op, bj the backs themselves; and he will draw card
after card, until the top card of the pack will be just
what would make the dealer's hand a winning hand.
Now, this partner, from dealing so many cards, will be
more likely to be burst, that is, overrun twenty-one ; if
so,, he will throw up his hand, and pay the bank. This
is all sham ; for whatever the bank wins of the company,
he gets his share of it when they are done playing.

Very often, persons unacquainted with the intrigues
of this game, will be tempted to deal, or open the game ;
and, notwithstanding the odds of the game are in favor
of the dealer, if he should get artful gamblers at the
table, they will beat him. If an ordinary player should
get at play with only one of the patent order, he (the
gambler) will watch by the backs what the dealer gives
himself, and also what card rests on the top of the pack ;
and if the dealer has in his hand fifteen, and the top
should be any thing above six, he will stand, even if he
has not more than twelve, knowing that the dealer will
probably draw on fifteen ,* and so surely as he draws, he
overruns and loses. This will also be done when a
common player is dealing to two* good gamblers, who
are in secret partnership; the left-hand player will
stand ; so will the right, in order that the dealer may
burst, and both of them win. And when the cards have
not the manufacturer's private marks upon them, the
gambler will so bend and mark them, as to be able to
beat a common player by that means.

This game is played very much on race-tracks, and on
steamboats, as well as in gambling-houses ; and it is as
dangerous a game, perhaps, as any of them ; for if a
common player sets up a bank, and gets at play with
regular gamblers, they, in spite of his advantages, will

168 ARTS AM> MISERIES

-•**•

Deception* ueed in Various Gome*. — Yfngtma.

beat him oat of every dollar. And if he should play
against the bank, it is still more dangerous to him ; for
he will not only have the odds in favor of the deal to
contend against, but the professional skill and intrigue
of professional gamblers, who will win, let the game be
played as it may. Whether they possess the bank, or
are playing against it, their skill in cheating and calcu*
lating chances are always sufficient to enable them to
win by it I have, during passages up the Mississippi
and Ohio Rivers, seen gamblers have three or four sit*
tings every day, from New Orleans to Louisville! at this
game, and always win; often draining the banker of
every dollar ; or, if they possessed the bank, they would
drain the rest of the company.

There is a method of telling the size of a cord by
picking the face ; and it is quite common for gamblers
to deal themselves cards from the bottom in this as well
as other games, when those they want to make their
hands good may happen to be at the bottom*

I would earnestly advise all men to refrain from this,
as well as all other games, for any purpose whatever ; as
gaming, even for spert, is dangerous in its tendencies,
and can bring no good. A man can always better
employ his time than in gaming for sport. And if he
plays for gain, he is apt to become a very bad man ;
indeed, he cannot gain unless he makes himself ac-
quainted with, and practises, all the base artifices by
which alone a man can depend on making gambling
profitable to himself; and the practising of them will in- »
variably render a person a bad man*

OF GAMBLING. 160

Deception* used in Various Game*. — Brag.

TIE GAME OF BRAG.

This is a very fashionable and much admired game
It requires a great deal of study and practice to play it
successfully, and is ranked as one of the scientific games.
It is a great favorite among the sporting gentlemen, and
is greatly prized because of its adaptedness to suit their
purposes. This game requires an intimate knowledge,
and firmness of nerve, iu the person playing it, otherwise
he may ruin himself on hands that another would win
largely on. The necessary qualifications are generally
possessed by the professional gamblers, while those whom
they may seduce into a game will become excited and
confused after a few losses, which they are anxious to
retrieve, and often bet unwisely, and are ruined. A man
lacking nerve and judgment will be an easy victim of
the (ramblers, who will know quite well what kind of
hands he may hold by his manner of bragging. Inex-
perienced players will be constantly deceived in this
game. Sprightly, brilliant young men frequently allow
themselves to be drawn into it by seeing their friends
and acquaintances play and win ; but in this they com-
mit a fatal error. They will sometimes venture to en-
gage in it on the supposition that some friends of theirs,
who are at the table, will protect them from being
cheated. This, however, is a great mistake; for this
friend may not do any cheating himself, but there may
be others at the table who will, in spite of every precau-
tion, cheat the whole company. These things all per-
sons who are conversant with gaming know to be facts ;
and those who say they are not, should be carefully

15

170 ARTS AfiD MISERIES

Deceptions need in Various Games. — Brag.

watched, and by doing so any one may convince himself
that what I shall say is truth.

Any good brag-player will readily acknowledge that
he paid very dearly for his skill in this game. Some will
say that they always win, and if they do not tell a wilful
falsehood, they are men who are continually practising
the vilest cheats. This game may be played with com-
parative honesty, that is, divested of the various cheats
usually connected with it; but this is a matter never
dreamed of by the gambler. Many men, who are not
gamblers professionally, understand the science of the
game sufficiently well to beat the gambler continually, if
he played without using any intrigue ; but the man who
plays scientifically, and yet honestly, can never beat the
man who is well skilled in intrigue. It frequently hap-
pens that one who has been playing but a short time will
beat an old and scientific player, who plays with great
skill and judgment. This young player, although he
has not a good knowledge of the science of the game,
knows perfectly well how to steal out cards, and by this
means he will beat all players who trust merely to their
judgment ; for no player who depends on bis judgment
can contend successfully against the combined frauds of
stealing, false shuffling, dealing from the bottom, slipping
the cut on top, stocking the cards, and then having a
secret partner to cut just where he wishes to have them
cut. And if the left-hand player is a secret partner
with the dealer, he will place two aces and a bragger at
the middle of the pack, and, keeping his little ringer
between them and the rest of the pack, after he has dealt
all around, three cards to each, and the players are
looking at their hands, he will slip the bottom cards- on

OF GAMBLING. 171

Deceptions used in Various Gomes. — Brtg.

top, and his left-hand partner will throw up his hand,
and call for a new hand, when he gets the two aces and
the bragger, which will be the best hand out, and he will
win all that is bet, for if there should be another hand
out as good, he will win by being the eldest hand. All
these 'deceptions are frequently practised on % scientific
players, without their suspecting or being able to detect
them. And in cases where the cards are not advantage
cards, the professional gambler will put his own private
marks upon them as he is playing, and this will enable
him to know the cards by the backs. This artifice alone
is sufficient to enable them to beat the best of players
who play honestly.

The various combinations of rascality practised by the
patent gentry (as they style themselves) are so numerous
and prevalent, that some of them may be expected to be
used at all times. A man will apparently shuffle a pack
of cards perfectly fair, but yet will keep a certain portion
of them at the bottom, and then deal them into whatever
man's hand he pleases ; thereby giving him a hand that
he will bet largely on, while he has cards secreted about
his lap, bosom, or sleeve, that will beat the hand he gave
to the other. I have often known a number of men
seated at a table, who were first-class players, but played
honestly"; and a patent player, who knew not half so
much about the science of the game as the other players,
would, nevertheless, in a short time, skin the company.
These things are of almost daily occurrence, on various
parts of the western rivers, where gambling exists to as
great an extent as in any other part of the country.
Men who are pursuing this business, in their dress and
externa] appearance, generally adapt themselves to the
company they may chance to meet. At one time they

172 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deception! used in Various Gwnet. — Even.

arc dressed in coarse Kentucky jeans, and at another in
the finest broadcloth, and jewelry to match. But not-
withstanding their external transformations, they cannot
hide the state of their minds ; for men who follow this
business are generally low-bred, and worthless to the
world. And if a man should be every thing that could
be desired, and should be so unfortunate as to adopt this
kind of life, he cannot remain what he was ; his man-
ners, language, and morals are, and must be, continually
on the retrograde.

EUCRE.

This is a game much played, but it is not to be found
in Mr. Hoyle's Treatise. As it is not my purpose to teach
games, I shall forbear to give any knowledge of the
manner of playing this game to those that are now
ignorant of it. This game is much played in various
parts of the country, particularly south and west, as a
parlor amusement; and on that account is much more
dangerous than if it were confined to the haunts of the
gambler; for it is very seldom that youngsters, who
acquire a knowledge of gaming in the parlor, confine *it
to that place ; when, in most of such cases, if they had
been under the necessity of visiting the haunts of the
gambler for their first rudiments, they would never have
learned at all. The game is also played by all classes of
gamblers in almost all kinds of places ; and the young
man who has learned this game in the parlor, will, when
he is travelling on steamboats, or puts up at hotels, find

OF GAMBLING. 173

»

Deceptions used in Various Games. — Euete.

what he supposes to be gentlemen, innocently amusing
themselves with a game of which he knows no harm ;
and should he be invited to sit and play, he readily
accepts, feeling quite honored at being invited to play a
friendly game with strangers, who have every appearance
of being gentlemen. The next thing he will be apt to
hear is, What shall we play for ? Perhaps they will be so
very moderate the first time, as to decide to play for a
quarter a game ; and as he is among strangers, whom he
takes to be gentlemen, he does not like to appear
penurious, and so suffers himself to be almost insensibly
led into staking on a game that he will not be apt to win
even once, and all from having learned it as a social
amusement in the parlor.

This game, like others, is subject to various cheats,
such as marking the cards, sometimes stocking, playing
by signs, playing two and three secret partners against
one, stealing out and retaining cards from one deal to
another ; besides, a man will often take, when it is his deal,
more cards than his proper number, and secrete some of
the poorest until a good opportunity for putting them
back in the pack arrives. A jack is the most desirable
card to retain, as k will be a trump in two suits. In play-
ing four-handed, the game may be played in partnership.
If two of the company should be of the patent order, they
are certain to beat the other two players ; this they will
do by signs previously understood between them, by
which they will tell one another what is in then-
hands, when to, torn the trump down, what to make the
trump when it is their turn, how to play when it is the
other's lead, as follows: A and C are sitting opposite,
and are, in secret, partners ; B and D arc partners, but
not of the patent order ; B, Hvho sits to the left of C, has

15*

174 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deeeatkms used in Various Games. — Eacre.

the deal, and plays alone. C knows, by marks, what he
holds in his hand, and if he has an odd card that is not
a tramp, C will give a sign to lead that suit if he has it,
and if B's card is larger, C will trump it, and break ins
march, and B can then make but one point ; when, if A
and C had not played by signs, B would have made four
points ; for even if B should hold ace of the suit which
A led, be must play it, and C would win it by tramping.
Another case in which signs are much used, is this : B
may deal, and all the players may pass ; B, the dealer,
for the want of good cards, turns the tramp down ; it
then becomes A's turn to make the tramp; C, his
partner, holds a hand sufficient to venture alone; he
gives A the sign, and A makes the trump to suit him, and
be plays alone, and makes four points, where he might
not, but for this artifice, have made any thing. Again,
by the artifice of signs, they know how to preserve
trumps, and not play two when one will answer : B may
lead, — A will not tramp, knowing by signs that C, his
partner, has a high tramp. He will play some unim-
portant card, and let the trick still belong to B ; D may
tramp or leave it B's trick, but C will by' all means
win it by high trumping, if he mast; this artifice saves
A's trump for another trick. Then the cheat of so
scratching and bending the corners of the aces and
jacks, and some other principal cards, that one can cut
so that his partner or himself will get them, is often
practised by the patent gentry. In this game, which is
played daily on the western waters on board of the
various steam-packets, players will often seek to get the
officers of the boat engaged, seemingly only for amuse-
ment This is to them one of the quickest and best
means of getting at play with the passengers. The

OP GAMBLING. 175

DeeeptloiM Med la Vartou Gum*.— Gum of taton.

officers of the boat t feeling bound to treat passenger*
well, will politely sit down and play for amusement, as
invited, and being soon called away to their duty, will
be very likely to introduce some of the passengers to
supply their place. This is just what the sporting man
wishes ; and soon he will propose playing for cigars, or
for their glasses, or the cost of the cards. This passes
off very well: be has succeeded in getting acquainted
with some of the passengers, and at the next sitting,
playing for money will be introduced, and k is generally
no hard matter to get gentlemen to play for money ; for
gambling has become so prevalent here, that few, indeed,
think of sitting down to amuse themselves without
playing for something, however small the amount ; and
every man, who is not a professed gambler, is inevitably
bound to get up loser. And as one dissipation leads to
another still more exciting, so one game leads to another ;
and often the game of eucre will be laid aside for that
which is more exciting and ruinous — the faro bank, for
instance, at which nine out of every ten that will continue
to bet against it will certainly ruin themselves. And I
will here add, let not a man's appearance, or conversation
and manners, so far interest you in his behalf as to cause
you to consent to take any kind of game with him ; for
it is running a great risk without an adequate compensa-
tion.

TIE GAIE OF BOSTON.

This game, like whist, is played with thirteen cards,
and, some years ago, was a very interesting and fashion-

176 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions tued in Various Gomel.— Game of Boatoa.

able amusement, and was a great deal played in all
grades of society where games were tolerated at all. Bui
since it has become a sporting game, and adopted by the
gamblers, with all their patent improvements, many have
abandoned the use of it, as they could not play it from
home without being swindled more or less ; as frequently,
on sitting down to play, there would be two or three
against one, and playing by signs, and using other cheats,
would win all that was played for. All persons con-
versant with this game, well know, that if two players of
the patent order should be seated with two others who
are well versed in the science of this game, and play
honestly, it is utterly impossible for them to win. And,
besides, this game ts so expensive, by the manner in
which the bets are made, that a man can very soon run
himself out of a large sum of money.

I would here give a synopsis of this game ; but I do
not wish to teach it to any who know nothing of it, and
those that do understand it will comjmhend what I say,
and know it to be true; while those wjio do not may be
assured that they will be continually cheated and swindled
if they should learn, unless they should be so unfortunate
as to sink themselves «to the grade of patent gamblers.
Frequently, when two gamblers are playing against men
who play honestly, they will run the honest player's hand
up, by bidding on their own, and if they take the bid, and
lose, when there are two of them, they lose but a trifle
more than if the others had made the trump. But if the-
honest player should happen to bid one trick more than
he can make, he will have to pay them more than the
others would have had to pay him if they had lost. This
is to them an advantage ' r for, if four should be playing,
end one bids eight tricks, and if each of the otheca should

»* 4

OP GAMBLING. x 177

DeeeptkNM naed in Varion.* Game:*. — Game of Boston.

pus, and he should not make eight tricks, he loses three
times as much as each of the others would lose, provided
he should make the eight tricks. And while at play, if
a man should bid nine tricks on clubs, and his opponent
bids nine on hearts, the opponent takes the bid unless
the ether will bid ten at clubs ; and if that should be one
more than can be made on the hand, he will lose, and
have to pay at least three times as much as if he had lost
on either of the others' bid, instead of losing on his
own bid.

There are also hands in this game called " small
misery : " in each of these, the person playing it obli-
gates himself not to take a trick out of the twelve, as the
rale is lor each man to discard one, and yet he follows suit
every time he has it, and if he should have one high card,
say clubs, and all the rest spades and hearts, he will, if
the lead comes from his partner, give him a sign to lead
diamonds, on which he will throw his high club, and is
then safe. This advantage is gained by the artifice of
passing signs from one to another.

One and all who may be trying to make tlftir
" misery," will use the same signs, and if there should
ne any chance of winning by the use of signs, they are
sure to do it. This is carried still further by telling one
another the strength of their hands, and when any trick
is yet lying on the table, one will give his partner a sign
that he need not risk any trump — that he is able to win
it. By this cheat, very often but one trump is played,
when there would have been two played ; and they who
play artifices and signs the best, are certain of beating
the other party. .

There are hundreds of advantages taken of the un-
skilful player, and various cheats continually practised,

178 ARTS AND MISERIES

The Game of All Fours, as found in Boyle's Treatise.

as well upon the gambler as upon those who are not
acquainted with, or do not suspect their cheats : indeed,
the latter class always become easy victims of the ra-
pacity of those men whose trade it is to get money
always by deception. Some men, from motives well
known to themselves, will say boston is the fairest game
played with cards. These men are either telling base
falsehoods, or else are ignorant of the game. It is like
all other games, and perhaps as fascinating as any of
them, but, like the rest, is never played honestly when
money is pending. As in other games, I have not at-
tempted to give a full and minute account of all the
cheats practised. This, as others, may be very interest-
ing to him that is winning, and the winner no doubt
takes great interest in the game at that time ; bat his
interest cannot be deeper and more heartfelt than that
<rf the man he is literally robbing.

THE GAME OF ALL FOURS,

As Mr. Hoyle leaves it.

This game is much played by all classes of gamblers.
Mr. Hoyle gives the following rules for this game : —

" The game of all fours is played by two persons with
an entire pack of cards. It derives its name from the
four chances therein ; for each of which a point is scored,
viz. : High — the highest trump out J Low — the lowest
trump out; Jack — the knave of trumps; Game — the.
majority of pips reckoned for the following cards, as the
players may have in their respective tricks, namely : for

OF GAMBLING. 179

The Gone of AU Fours, as in Boyle's Treatise.

an ace, four ; for a king, three ; a queen, two ; a knave,
one ; and ten for a ten.

Hand. — The cards each player receives from the
dealer constitute a hand.

TWcJfc.— When each player has played a card, they
constitute a trick, and the person who plays the best card
wins the trick.

Laws of the Game.

1. If, in dealing, the dealer exposes the face of any of
his adversary's, or bis own cards, a new deal may be
demanded.

2. If discovered, before playing, that the dealer has
given his adversary or himself too many cards, there
must be a new deal ; or, if all agree, the extra cards may
be drawn by the dealer from the opponent's hand ; but if
a single card has been played, there must be a new deal.

3. No person can beg more than once in a hand,
unless all agree.

4. In playing, you must either follow suit or trump,
on penalty of your adversary's adding one point to his or
their game.

5. If either scores his game erroneously, it must be
corrected, and his opponent is entitled to one or four
points, as shall have been agreed upon.

6. A person laying down a high or low trump, may
inquire if it be high or low.

* V

180 ARTS AND MISERIES

TIm Gam* of AH Foure, as in Boyle** Treatise.

Rules of Plating.

1. The game consists often points. After cutting for
deal, the highest or lowest, as may be agreed upon, wins.
The dealer will then give each player six cards, be-
ginning at his left, dealing one or three at a time ; after
which, the topmost card of the remainder of the pack is
turned up, and is the trump.

2. If the card turned up should be a knave, (jack,)
the dealer is entitled to score one point to his game.

3. If the eldest hand should not like the cards dealt
him, he may say, " I beg;" when the dealer may give
each player a point, or deal three more cards to each,
and then turn up the top for trump. But if that should
be of the same suit as the first trump, he must continue
dealing three, and turning up, until a different suit
occurs.

4. The cards rank as at whist; and each player
should strive to secure his own tens and court cards, or
win those of his adversary ; to obtain which, except when
commanding cards are held, it is usual to play a low one,
in order to throw the lead into the opponent's hand.

5. Endeavor to make, your knave as soon as you can.

6. Low is always scored by the person to whom it is
dealt ; but jack being the property of whoever can win
or save it, the possessor is permitted to revoke, and
trump with that card,

7. Win your adversary's best cards when you can,
either by trumping them, or with superior cards of the
same suit.' 1

OF GAMBLING. 181

Deceptions used in the Game of All Fours.

Deceptions used in the Game of All Fours.

This is all that Mr. Hoyle says in relation to this
game ; and I will now endeavor to show the reader what
changes the sporting gentry have made in this game, in
order to render it more suitable for their purpose.
Mr. Hoyle says it is played by two persons : it is now
played by any number, from two to six ; but more than
six cannot play, for, if there should be a beg, the cards
would not go round. When played by four persons,
they may, if they choose, play in partnership, as at whist
Any other number than four cannot play in partnership ;
consequently, each is for himself, and scores his own
game. According to Mr. Hoyle, the points to be made
before the game is concluded are ten; they are now
universally reduced to seven; and the game is most
commonly called seven up, or old sledge. -This reduction
seems not to have satisfied the desires of the gambler ;
for short games, of quick termination, it is reduced to
five. These games are substantially the same, the only
difference being in the number of points played for.

The game of all fours, seven up, five up, or old sledge,
has, perhaps, as many advantages for gamblers as any
other game that is played by them, and, consequently,
as many inducements for them to master it There is
no game so generally known by all classes of persons,
and very often it is learned in the parlor at a very early
age. Children, of both sexes, under twelve years of age,
often play well at this game. Hence the professional
gentleman will find victims at this game, when he might
in vain seek i%r one to engage in any other. The
gentleman of ease, the merchant, the clerk, and some of
v 16

189 ARTS AND MISERIES

.*.

Deceptions used in Various Games. — All Fows.

almost all classes of persons, will engage in this game.
Perhaps, at first, merely to while away a few leisure hours
that pass heavily by, and in order to divert the mind, they
will make the game interesting by making small bets,
which generally have the effect to engage the man's
whole mind in what he is then about ; and thus is the
desire for amusement and diversion, coupled with a
probability of gain, so fed and strengthened, that it ere
long grows into a passion for the card-table, as strong
and as difficult of restraint as any passion that actuates
the human bosom.

This game is subject to nearly the same cheats that
whist is, viz. : marking, stocking, stealing out cards, and
playing by signs, besides some other cheats that cannot
be introduced in whist. Marking, stocking, and steal-
ing being described in whist, it is unnecessary to do it
again here. In all fours the best cards to steal out are
the ace, the deuce, and the jack. After having pos-
sessed themselves of these, they will make a trump of the
suit they have stolen, by slipping the cut. Suppose, for
instance, the dealer has three points to make ; he steals
out the ace, deuce, and jack of one suit; he then makes
that suit trumps, and his adversary leads, generally, some
low card, in order to turn the lead to the dealer. The
dealer then plays his jack, and saves it, and then shows
ace and deuce, and is declared out In such cases, he
may or may not keep all the cards he has in his hand, as
the cards are scarcely ever counted when one shows out ;
or if he is afraid of it, he may put three low cards in his
lap, or he will palm three ; by either of which tricks he
hides his theft. The cards, in this game, are marked in
the same manner, and for the same purpose, as they are
in whist; that is, that they may be known by their
backs.

OF GAMBLING. 188

D wptio as used in Various Games. — All ftara.

Stocking is practised more, perhaps, in this game,
than in whist, as it is more easily done. As the cards are
not shuffled as much, it renders stocking far more easy
and certain. The object of stocking, in this game, is to
get high, low, jack, and ten of a suit, and make that suit
trumps. By slipping, they are often stocked as follows :
while gathering the tricks that have been won, the player
who intends to stock, will put three low cards on the top
of three high cards ; and, his deal coming next, he keeps
them at the top by deceptive shuffling, and places one of
the same suit as the high cards were of at the bottom,
and then he slips the cut. And if he is playing two-
handed, he gets the second and third ; or, if four-
handed, his partner gets them, which is all the same.
And then, while dealing off the last card, he very
adroitly turns up the bottom card for trumps, and is not
suspected, as it is very common for the dealer at the last
to deal off four cards, and let the bottom one of that four
fall face up for trumps. But instead of all four coming
from the top of the pack, the fourth one is from the
bottom. This trick, from its being so simple and easy
to perform, is often practised.

Watching the tens. — As the tens and aces are of
much importance in making the game, they are par-
ticularly marked and watched by the gambler, so that he
can make quite accurate calculations as to the amount
of game that is out, and will know how to play accord-
ingly. This, of course, is not thought of by any except
the professional gentry.

Turning jacks every deal. — This is a gross deception,
accomplished by stocking and dealing from the cut.
The professional gentry do it as follows : they will take
a jack of a suit, and place three good cards of that suit

186 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used hi Virion* Game*. — All Fooi*.

while your ace, king, quoen, jack, and ten of trumps,
count you but twenty, and he wins the game. This
hand is very deceptive, and unusually enticing ; it will
deceive the very best players, and I have seen men
bet on it the second and third time, thinking they had
surely made a misplay ; but it is impossible for them to
win unless the dealer chooses to let them, in order to
entice them still further on, or to get a larger bet on the
same game again ; « for which purpose they sometimes
choose to play in a manner that is called throwing the
game away, in order to make you think that when you
lost, you might have won if you had played rightly. I
have seen bets run as high as five to one in favor of this
hand; so certain was the holder of winning, that he
readily risked this odds; but he invariably lost.

There is another hand, called a big hand, that is some-
times played in this game. It is a trick, and is done as
follows : You may be playing for amusement only ; the
dealer will lay out two hands, with their faces upwards ;
one will be a very good hand, and the other a very poor
one. He will then tell you that you can make any suit
trumps which you please, and take choice of hands.
Of course you will make the trump to suit the best hand.
He will then offer to bet you a sum that you cannot take
\he good hand and make four, or the poor hand, and
make one. The good hand promises so fairly to make
four, that you would be very likely to bet and take the
good hand. But you would lose; for you could only
make high, low, jack, and ten for game, while he would
make eleven, and beat you. This is a very enticing trick,
and I would advise all persons not to bet on it, if it
should ever be proposed to them. The player says, you
may hare choice ; but he, by all means, prefers thai you

OF GAMBLING. 187

Deceptions tided ia Various Gamos. — All Fours.

would take the large hand, and try to make four; lor
the little hand can always make one if played right ; but
very few men who play cards will make one from it
None but veterans, or such as have, through particular
favor, been initiated into the secret by them, will do it ;
for there are so many ways to play it wrong, that it is
seldom played right. There are, also, other games,
where the cards are turned up similarly to the one just
described ; but never suffer yourself to be enticed into
betting on any of them ; for the man that will propose
them Will always beat you.

Three up. — The points in the game of all fours are
frequently reduced to three ; for what purpose I know
not, unless to enable the gambler to strip his victim
much sooner than he might otherwise be able to do ; it
being a well-known fact, that the habitual gamester gen-
erally prefers short games. When this game is so ren-
dered, it Is called " three up ; " at which, each player
receives but three cards, and a trump is turned. It is
just like five up in every other respect ; and the person
who makes three points first, is out, and wins the game.
There is great room in this game for the gambler to
exercise his tricks. Every cheat that is practised in
seven up, can be practised in this game. The following
are but variations of some of the principal cheats in
seven up. A and B may be playing; A steals out seven
cards, as follows : he takes the ace, king, queen, jack,
five, and six, (as we will suppose,) of hearts, and a five
of spades. He then puts down the six of hearts, back
op ; this is meant for the trump. On this he places next
the five of hearts, then the ace, then the five of spades,
then the queen, then king, then jack. A has these cards
s t o ck ed in this manner ; and when it m B's deal, A will

188 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used In Various Games.— -All Font*.

take the pack to cut, and has a right to shuffle them ; in
doing which, he palms those seven cards on the top;
then cuts and slips the cut on top again, and hands the
cards to B to deal. A gets the king and two fives, while
B gets the ace, jack, and queen. A will then beg, and at
the same time say to B, " If you will give me one, I will
make three ; " B thinks this almost impossible, as he sup-
poses that his ace, queen, and jack are good for high,
jack, and game. He will be apt to bet that he will make
it And if he should bet, as he would be likely to do, A
will play his five of spades, B will play his jack, and
leads his ace. A plays his five of hearts ; B leads his
queen, and A takes it with his king, and makes low, gift,
and game. B having given him one, and his five being
low, he has king and queen, which make him five for
game. B has ace and jack, which make him five also ;
but as he dealt, (the dealer losing all tie games,) A makes
three times, and wins.

Another cheat is practised in three up, as follows : A
and B are at play ; A is one, and B is two points. A
deals, and gives B three aces ; that is, the aces of spades,
hearts, and diamonds, and clubs will be trumps. B begs,
well knowing ttiat some one of the suits of which he has
the ace will be the next trump. He will then feel sure
of winning, as His ace will be high. He will be very
apt to say, " It matters not what is trumps ; I shall go
out." A will say, " If you will bet me three to one, I
will bet you do not go out." And as B considers that A
is ignorant of what he holds, he will feel safe in betting
him ; which if he does, A will run them, and turn np
for trump the jack of clubs, which makes him, also, two.
Now, as clubs was first trumps, he must still run further,
and A turns another jack, which wins him the game, as

OF GAMBLING. 189

Deceptions used in Various Games. — Whist.

high is of no avail when the dealer has but one to make,
and turns jack. This trick is done by stocking and
palming, and is well understood by all the gamblers.

I have not attempted here to give a full and complete
knowledge of all the cheats that are practised in these
games. If the expositions here given shall deter persons
from betting and gambling, my purpose will be accom-
plished, as gaming can never result in good r and is sure
to result in evil. If one, by losing, should receive a
profitable lesson, and reform, the other, by winning,
receives new encoutagement to continue in his evil
course, daily spreading ruin and misery where, before,
all had been peace and contentment.

WHIST.

„This is probably one of the most scientific of all the
games that are played with cards, requiring deeper study
and longer practice than any other, to be thoroughly
understood and successfully played. The strict silence
which is required to be observed during the progress of
it, gave rise to the name by which it is called. Mr.
Hoyle, in his Treatise on Gaming, has given a very
particular account of this one ; and when it is played as
he directs, it is a comparatively fair game. But this is
no sufficient reason for perpetuating a recreation, which,
at every step, exercises the most dangerous influence
over the minds and actions of those who practise it.
This game, however, in common with all others, as
played by the habitual votaries of gaming, is a continual

190 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in Various Games. — Whist.

series of intrigue and fraud. Those who are addicted
to it spare no pains to render themselves complete
masters of the various cheats by which they expect to
succeed : the principal of these I design to expose ; and
gladly would I enter into the most minute details of every
artifice at present practised among gamblers, would my
limits permit me to do so.

The principal cheats in the game of whist are, stock-
ing, palming, marking, signs, mis-dealing, and changing
packs. These I will explain in the order in which I
have mentioned them ; and, first, stocking. This fraud
in playing cards is, to the gambler, an important one, as
it generally enables him to get such cards as he wishes,
or to give them to his partner, in a manner that seems
to be accidental good luck. Stocking is placing cards
in such a position in the pack as that the cheater is able
to know whereabouts in the pack they are, and to know
to whom they are dealt. But the grand object is for the
person who stocks them to get them himself; which
if he or his partner should do, he wins; if not, he
cautiously acts on the defensive. Gamblers, when they
have stocked cards, can almost always shuffle in so
deceptive a manner as not to alter the positions of the
particular cards they have stocked ; and by that means,
they will, although the pack appears to be well shuffled,
go where the gambler intends they should go.

In all cases of stocking, in games that are played with
a trump, if a particular suit is wanted for trump, this
will be obtained by placing one of the desired suit at the
bottom of the pack, and keeping it there throughout the
shuffle. Then, when the pack is cut, the cut should_go
under the bottom of the pack ; but the dealer, instead of
putting it there, takes it in his left hand, and draws the

OF GAMBLING. 101

Deceptions used in Various Games. — Whist*

other part of the pack to him with his right, as if he
would put it on top ; but as his two hands come together,
he so dexterously slips the cards in his right to the
bottom of those in the left, that the keenest eye cannot
detect the cheat The pack remains the same as before
cut, with the one at the bottom which he placed there ;
and as all the pack is dealt out, and the bottom one
turned up for trumps, he has the one he wants. The
base cheat of stocking is apt to be practised to a greater
or less extent every deal, and gives advantages that could
not be obtained without its use. It is done in almost
all games, and in a great variety of ways, some of which
I shall explain as I proceed. None need think of de-
tecting it but the most expert gamblers ; and even they
have it often practised upon them, and are beaten by it.

In whist they stock principally to get the honors, that
is, ace, king, queen, and jack, of the suit that is trump.
These, when they are all on one side, count them four,
and this is a great stride towards the game. It is also
of some consequence to a gambler to get a " sequence "
by stocking the cards ; but they prefer making sure of
the honors, and. running their risk for an equal share of
the good cards. A still more dangerous method of
stocking is at times carried on by the gambler, and by
means of which he is certain of winning any amount '
which he can succeed in enticing a man to bet with him ;
and I know of no baser piece of v ill any in the whole
routine of card-playing than this vile artifice, which gives
the gambler every advantage, by which he is enabled to
rob his victim with as much ease as he will deal his
cards, and without the least remorse of conscience
attending this and the like intrigues.

When a gambler intends practising this cheat, that is,

102 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in Various C«c«. — Wbi*.

the mode of stocking of which I have just spoken, he
retires, and obtains a pack like those in general use,
which is always easy to be done. He then will retire,
and stock them just as he wishes, which he can do so as
Co make any number of points, from one up to ten, and
is enabled to go completely through a game the first
hand, if he choose to do so. Should he wish to go out
the first hand, he will stock them as follows : Making any
suit trumps that he chooses, — we will suppose that he
makes clubs trumps, — he will take the ace, king, queen,
jack, ten, nine, and eight of clubs ; then, of spades, the
ace, king, queen, and-jack ; of diamonds, the ace and king.
He then takes the balance of the pack, and lays out three
cards face up, and puts one of those he has selected out
upon these three, and goes through the whole pack in this
way, having one of the clubs for the last and top card :
this will be the trump ; and as the cards he picked out were
placed every fourth card throughout, the dealer or the
one who stocked them gets them. He will then trump
the first, if necessary, in order to win it, and will keep
the lead throughout, winning every trick, which counts
him six ; and possessing the four honors, counts him four,
which makes him ten, and the game is won. And the
way this pack, already stocked, is introduced on the
table, is as follows (it is called coming the change) : —
the dealer will have the stocked pack lying privately in
his lap, and when the cards they will be using have been
cut. and are ready to be dealt, the dealer slips his left
hand up to the under edge of the table, as if to receive
the pack which is on the table, and which, at the same
time, he is drawing to him with his right hand, as if to
place it in his left, in which he would hold it to deal
from ; but in reality he carries his right hand down into

OF GAMBLING. 198

Deceptions used in Various Games. — Whist.

his lap, and lodges its contents there, and brings up his
left hand over the table, and commences dealing from
the stocked pack, while some of his secret partners, who
are seated about in the same room, will privately take
the pack out of his lap, and convey it away, that there
may be no means of detecting the fraud by the discovery
of two packs. This fraud is put in practice when bets
run high, and there is a probability of winning a large
wager.

Another method of stocking, when it is intended to
change the packs, is sometimes put in practice; the
object *bf which is to deceive the opponent in his own
hand, by giving him a hand from which it would appear
quite certain that he could make from four to eight or
nine points. This is done in order to entice him into a
bet. We will suppose a player to lack five points of the
game : the dealer deals him a hand of the highest order,
having in it the four honors, and other good trumps,
with regular sequences of other suits, and he feels quite
sure of winning ; and when the dealer proposes to bet
him that he cannot make two, or even one trick over six,
he will be readily induced to bet on the strength of his
hand ; and this is just what the dealer has been striving for.

The manner of stocking the pack in this case is this :
the person who intends practising this cheat will retire,
and if he makes clubs trumps, he will select out the ace,
king, queen, jack, ten, and nine of clubs ; these are the
six highest trumps. He will put with these the ace,
king, queen, jack, ten, nine, and eight of spades; this
hand is for his opponent ; and from having two regular
sequences, he will be very sanguine of beating, thinking
it more than likely that his partner has some of the
seven remaining low trumps, or that they are scattered

17

196 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions wed in Various Gomes — Wok*.

twice during the deal, and have sixteen, while the others
hare but twelve each ; he will then hide his theft bj con-
cealing four cards that are poor in the palm of his hand,
and in gathering a trick will place all upon his bunch of
tricks. And as his tricks are all bunched, the players
will depend on counting the tricks of the other party to
determine who has won the odd trick; and hence he
succeeds in hiding his theft. These barefaced cheats
are constantly being practised all over the country by
gamblers of every grade, and they generally perform
them so artfully as not to be detected.

Playing by signs. — Most gamblers travel through
the country in partnership ; that is, two or more will be
in secret partnership, that when they are all playing at
the same table, they may assist each other. And it is no
matter which of them wins, as they will divide the spoils.
This being the case, it is of importance that they should
be able to carry on a secret correspondence in order to
understand one another. This is done by various signs,
perfectly understood among those who are confederates.
The principal mode of giving signs is the way in which
a player will take hold of his cards, and hold them in his
hand. By slight movements of the fingers, he will con-
vey to his partner a knowledge of all the principal cards
in his hand. These and various other signs are as in-
telligible from the one to the other as the plainest words
could be, and they are used in all games more or less,
and in every variety of way, with the evil design of more
easily fleecing those who will play with them.

Marking cards. — This is done in many different
ways. Almost all gamblers play with cards that are
marked by the manufacturers ; but it is of those that are
not so marked that I now speak. If the marks should be

OP GAMBLING. 197

Deceptions used in Various Games. — Whist.

strange to the gambler, he will mark them to suit him-
self. This will be done when none are suspecting it,
and is generally done while being held in the hand, and
with the nails or by small scratches on their edges, or by
bending the corners in a manner understood by them-
selves; sometimes by turning the card face up, and
marking the face with the thnmb nail, or any hard thing
that will make a mark that will show on the back.
There are many methods of marking cards, each player
having his own peculiar way, and it would be quite im-
possible to give an exposed of them all ; and what I have
said on this subject I hope will be deemed sufficient.

Playing three against one. — All over our country
where gambling is carried on, there is always more or
less partnership existing. When gamblers are in cities,
they frequent those places of resort that are most likely
to furnish ;tbem with the greatest number of victims, and
where they can best carry on their nefarious occupation
to the ruin of all whom they may be able to seduce into
play; and in the west and south-west, where there is a
great deal of travel on steamboats, there are, nearly every
trip, some of this class of men on board. Here, as in
cities, do they gamble to a very great extent. By travel-
ling up and down the river in steamboats as passengers,
they fall in with many business men, who have money,
and many who for sport, or with the hope of gain, will
play cards almost at any time. And if they have not
before fallen in company with gamblers, they are very
apt to consent to play readily. As this class of men are
generally as cautious, polite, and genteel in their man-
ners as possible, in order that they may the better con-
ceal their true character, and as there are, mostly,
several of them in partnership, they will not be long

IT*

196 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deceptions used in Various Gomes. — Whist.

without getting up a game. Three of them will get to a
card-table, and aa they will want four, they will politely
inquire of a gentleman if he plays whist, this being a
game very generally understood, and considered genteel ;
and hence they will have very little if any hesitation in
asking a gentleman to play it. And if he consents to
play, but protests against betting, they will content them-
selves with a proposition to play for the cost of the cards,
or for glasses for the company. This will hardly be ob-
jected to; but the next sitting, having become some-
what acquainted, they will insist on playing for a suffi-
cient sum to make the game interesting ; and there are
few men who will, under such circumstances, play cards,
that will refuse to play for a quarter each, in order to
render the game of some interest Now, when a man
sits down to a table where there are three secret part-
ners, it makes no difference whom he draws lor his part-
ner ; he will, of course, get one of the three. He is then
at play with three well-skilled adversaries, and the man
who is perforce his partner, will play as much as he can
that he may lose, that he may in the end win ; for what-
ever the other two win will be divided after the game is
closed.

A man can never win against such odds; and after
losing a few games, he will become somewhat excited,
and think himself unlucky, as all men like to win,
whether it be little or much they are playing for. A man
will, in cases like the above, be apt to propose doubling
the bet, and if he does not, his partner will do it, holding
out, at the same time, the probability of winning some of
the games ; and every game which they may win that has
been doubled, will make up for two that were lost before.
This is generally enough to do away with his predeter-

OF GAMBLING, 109

Deception* used in Vmrious Gmm* — WM*.

mutations, and be pats up again and again, but still con*
tinues to lose as long as he has any thing to lose and will
play ; and finally gets op from the table bitterly regretting
the unlucky moment he suffered himself to be beguiled
into the commission of an act he had ever considered as
sinful and ruinous in the extreme.

I have known young men to be invited to play whist,
and at first they would play for a quarter a game. They
would lose, and become excited, and then double, in the
hopes of winning, thinking it unreasonable that they
should not win a single game ; but still they lost, lor they
eould have no chance of winning a game against the
professional skill of the old gambler, and played on
against matchless odds until they were drained of their
last dollar.

I was a passenger on a boat on the western waters,
some year or so since, and a young man whom I knew
to have played against three secret partners, sat down at
first for amusement only, and with a strong determination
not to bet a cent He played, became interested in the
game, and consented to play for a quarter a corner, and
he lost several games. He became still more interested,
or rather excited, and doubled in order to win ; but he
lost again, and doubled again, and continued losing and
doubling until from a quarter he doubled up to the
amount^of one hundred and twenty-eight dollars, which
he bet on a single game. But he or his partner never
won a single game, or came any nearer ten than six
points. And when, he quit the table he was a loser to the
amount of six hundred dollars. This young man was a
good, moral young man, and hated gambling ; but he, in
an evil moment, consented to play just for amusement,
and paid dearly for it. The three gamblers with whom

300 ARTS AND MISERIES "

he had been playing, retired after be left the table,
and divided the spoils between them. Such things at
these are almost every-day occurrences in the haunts of
gamblers, who scruple not to use every means to carry
out their purposes.

Hoy It's maxims. — From what I have here advanced
concerning the game of whist, I hope none will ever
dream of using Hoyle's maxims to advantage in this day.
He calculated for the game to be played free from intrigue ;
hut this is scarcely ever done by men playing for money.
As luck in such matters is never to be relied on, some
means must be contrived to win at all hazards. And as
these maxims are generally based on some proviso concern-
ing your hand, and the probability of your partner's and
your adversary's hands, you can never calculate with cer-
tainty how far to rely upon them. And if you could, it
would be of little use against men who know by the backs,
or by stocking, what cards are in all the hands as well as
if they were turned up to them. Good players have but
small chances to win money at play with men who are
habitual gamblers; and all may be assured, that men who
play for money use more or less intrigue to insure
success.

CKIBBAGB.

This game is quite a scientific one, and requires con*
siderable study and practice- to play it well, by reason
of its great variety of chances. Mr. Hoyle says, " The
game is considered useful to the young, as it assists them
in the science of calculation." But I have never known,

OF GAMBLING. 90!

ftwptiona used in Various ^iititt filhiiy

and I hope I never shall know, of an instance of its
being introduced and tolerated on that score. Much
deception is carried on in this, as well as in other games.
The principal cheat in this game is stealing out two
threes, and keeping them out. These cards are of the
greatest consequence in this game. They, by being out,
break the sequence of those two suits to which they be-
long, which enables the man who has stolen them out, and
knows they are out, to make points which he could not
make if this were not the case. Besides this, the players
often have a small machine called a plate, the use of
whieh is to make such of the cards as they may wish, a
little smaller than the others, by trimming very little from
the edges. When this is done, a man may cut so as to
have almost any card turned up that he may wish ; that
is, a high or a low card ; for if the edges of certain low
cards be trimmed so as to make them smaller than the
others, a man can easily cut to one of these by pressing
the cards until they are all even •; then those that have
not been trimmed off will project a little over the trimmed
cards, thus enabling a man to cut to one of these, if he
wishes to do so. This is a very great advantage in this
game, and if the cards are not advantage cards, a gam-
bler will so mark them, that he will know the cards by
his own marks, the principal object of which, in this
game, is to make his own, or break his adversary's crib,
as by the marks he will know what an adversary has dis-
carded, and can so discard as to avoid aiding the crib ;
or if it is his own crib, he can discard so as to im-
prove it.

It often happens that old and skilful players, who
play honestly, are, to their great surprise, beaten at this
game by youngsters, who have played comparatively but

90S! ARTS AND MISERIES

Deeeptkms oaad ta Various Gmwu — CrftlWfB.

little, and whose knowledge and judgment are vastly in-
ferior. Bat they more than make up these deficiencies
by their skill in cheating, which they make it their prin-
cipal aim to become expert in ; by which means they
can, at any time, cheat to any extent the best of players
who use no artifice. And if a man should have studied
and practised, all his lifetime, Hoyle's maxims, and pos-
sess the best of judgment, yet if he played without
artifice, ail his knowledge and judgment would avail him
nothing, when at play with those patent gentry, with all
the advantages in which they are constantly improving
themselves, as well as occasionally introducing some
new discoveries in this department of the science of
gaming.

I have not here attempted to give a minute description
of every thing, but to give such an idea of the cheats
that are practised in this game, as to prevent persons,
one and all, from betting on it; for all men who play
cards for gain, make it a part of their study to take un-
fair advantages of their adversaries, and this they gener*
ally do in no small degree. In this game, for instance,
men will often get the four fives, and place them at
the bottom, and deal these into their own hand : this is
the best possible hand in cribbage, and is good for
twelve in hand, besides the probability of making more
in play ;* and if he should turn up any card that counts
ten, his hand of four fives is good for twenty, besides
making more in play. This, when the threes are stolen
out, is the greatest cheat in use in the game of cribbage.
Very often old players will, by talking, so perplex %
young player, that he will score his game wrong, when
the old player is entitled to score for himself the number
of points the young player missed or ovorseored.

OF GAMBLING. 308

Deception and in Various Game*. —Backgammon.

BACKGAMMON.

This is considered a very ingenious and scientific
game, and is of great antiquity. It is played a great
deal for amusement. The implements for playing this
game are probably found as often in the parlors of the
wealthy and respectable as in any other place. And in
such cases, of course, their children, as soon as they be*
come of sufficient age to entertain, and exhibit their talents
to, strangers and visitors, must learn this among other fash-
ionable parlor amusements ; which too often, in after days,
cause parent and child many bitter tears ; though they
seldom blame themselves at all for having educated their
children, in the parlor, to become the companions of, and
to constitute members of that class of evil-doers, known
by' the softened cognomen of sportsmen. In this game,
there is but one way of cheating the man who can play
it at all, and that is by the dice, two being used by each
player. This renders it a game of hazard, and each
player moves according to what he throws. The prin-
cipal cheating is done by loading the dice. A player
will have in his possession several of these loaded dice,
so fixed that he can with them throw whatever he
pleaqes ; and if his game is backward, or he wishes to
hurxy it, he will be continually exchanging some of these
for his regular dice, that he commenced the game with ;
and by throwing whatever he is most in need of, he can
carry his game to any state of forwardness he wishes to.
The dice he will be changing he keeps secreted about
his wrist and sleeve ; and, from time to time, he can use
them even on the most experienced players without being
detected. And frequently a mail who has an inferior

804 ARTS AND MISERIES

Deeeption^iMftd in Yvfoni G»me«. — Cntps.

knowledge of the game, will, by this cheat, beat men
who are old and scientific players. The gambler will
pay the utmost attention to get these dice manufactured,
as they are not to be bought ready made. They have
them made and so loaded that any side may turn up.
Men who are in the daily practice of such cheats, need
no nerve or firmness other than to put their cheats into
practice ; which they can always do as unblushingly is
though they were playing with perfect fairness.

TIE GAME OF CSAP8.

This is a game lately introduced into New Orleans,
and is fully equal to faro in its vile deception and ruinous
effects. Its deceptive character is not generally known
by men who bet against it, most of whom believe it to be
a fair and equal game. But this 1 is a great error ; for if a
man will consider but a moment, he cannot but know
that when he bets on the turn of a die, it has six rides,
and that if he bets on one, there are five sides against it
This alone renders the odds five to one against him, which
alone is sufficient to ruin a man that will bet often upon
it. But the keepers of this game are not satisfied t with
this immense advantage, but always have dice made and
loaded so as to enable them to throw whatever they may
please ; and by this means they can win just when they
wish. And by the time this game is as old as faro, as
many persons will probably be ruined by it, unless some
great and mighty check is given to its prevalence.
These dice are made in such a way, that, by throwing
them lightly, small numbers are obtained ; . and if you

OF GAMBLING.

Dtceptloni uied in Various Gums.— Cnpa.

watch the banker at the time when he wants a large
number, he will throw the dice much harder than
at other times. The manner of throwing makes a
vast difference in the turning up of dice. When men,
at any of these games, say they have no advantage,
they are telling the vilest falsehoods; for no gambler
ever plays a game when the chances are equal. The
odds are always in his favor ; for when a gambler goes
to a heavy expense to procure himself the necessary
implements to gamble with, it is always his intention to
pay himself by fraud. Who will inspect the games of
craps and faro, and still say that gamblers are an honest
set of men ? Who will suppose that, if gamblers de-
pended solely on their luck, they would always suc-
ceed in ruining every man who will persevere in play-
ing with them 1 Men, too, who know more of the
science of the game, and whose judgments are superior,
are often beaten out of all they possess by the gambler.
This happens to them because they play scientifically,
and scorn all cheats, or else are unacquainted with any.
Are gamblers more deserving of the favors of Providence
than other men, that they should always win the money
of those who play with them ? It cannot be so ; and I
know that it is not so; but they succeed only by using
the vilest deceptions, from beginning to end. And the
man who will venture to patronize them in any degree,
will be sure to be the loser by so doing.

All classes of people in New Orleans have abundant
reason to cry, Down with the monster ! Ask many of
the merchants what has resulted to them in consequence
of their clerks being decoyed to the craps table. -Ask
the wives of hundreds how their husbands have come
home from such places of robbery. In short, numerous

18

906 ARTS AND MISERIES

P>ogprtoni aw4 fa VtrkNUt Guaet. — BflHuds.

are the sufferings in every class from this source, except
the keepers themselves, who revel and riot in the lowest
depths of dissipation on their ill-gotten wealth.

BILLIARDS.

There are few games in use of a more deceptive char-
acter than this. It may be so managed that cheating to
almost any extent may be carried on by it. Gamblers,
in playing this game, will generally so contrive it, as just
barely to beat the man they are playing with, so as to
make him believe that there is but very little difference
in their playing ; and still the man will suppose that the
sportsman is playing the very best that he can. The one
who gets beaten thus slightly, has, perhaps, an acquaint-
ance who is a little better player than himself. Him he
will bring to play against the gambler, who will, as in the
other case, just beat him a little, and perhaps make him
believe that he barely succeeded in doing so by some
lucky accident, which he will begin to explain. But he
is deceiving ; for his practical knowledge of the game is
such, that he will always beat all ordinary players, but
he will never beat them badly ; that is, he will at each
game come out but a few points ahead. This is done in
order to keep the others in good spirits, and in hopes
that they shall, every next game, succeed in beating him.
But they may play month after month, and aspire to beat
this wan, but all in vain ; and after being some months
in a place, his new acquaintances will have so high an
opinion of his playing, that they will set htm up as their

OF GAMBLING. 907

D to&tti mu used in Various G*mt*. — Cock-Figm*i«g.

champion. And when they come to have so exalted an
opinion of his playing, he is then ready for another secret
manoeuvre. A man will make his appearance, and pre-
tend to be something of a player, and some of those who
so much admired the other's playing, will offer to bet
that their champion can beat him, and very probably
many bets will be made on their playing. And when
they come to a trial of skill, the new-comer beats the
other about every game, and between the two they win
all the money that they can get bet on their playing;
and, contrary to all suspicion, this new-comer will turn
out to have been a secret partner of the other; and
things were from the first so arranged between them for
the express purpose of making what they would call a
grand raise, and then both of them decamp after they
can get no more bets on their playing. These men most
generally have partners, with the aid of whom they are
continually putting such cheats in practice.

The game of ten-pins is almost as deceptive in the
hands of a gambler ; and all persons who are not willing
to be the victims and dupes of these men, should refrain
from all these games, for they are exceedingly apt to
bring upon their heads the most ruinous consequences in
the end.

COCK-FIGHTING.

This is a kind of sport that is too contemptible to be
countenanced in any civilized or Christian country ; « and
yet there are many, who pass for respectable citizens,
who give it their sanction, either by being present, or by

906 ARTS AND MISERIES

te VarioM Gum*.— Coek-Flgfttteg.

an actual p«rticipatk>D in it But I must think that a
taste for this contemptible and cruel sport is an acquired
one ; that, bad as the human heart naturally is, it would
revolt at such wanton conduct, if it were not urged on, by
the force of habit, to contract a fondness for it. There
are many persons who engage in this amusement, who,
did they seriously reflect for a moment upon its perni-
cious consequences, would be very far from allowing
themselves even to visit a cockpit Did they properly
consider the material that composes this assemblage
generally, to be found at such places, they would not
only fear, but would be seriously ashamed to be caught
among them. Who are the people that commonly attend,
or are the keepers of cockpits t The keepers are low-
bred bullies and villains, in general, of the most de-
graded class; such are the men that you encourage and
support, by condescending to resort to such sinks of in-
iquity and cruelty.

Next comes number 1, a gentleman gambler while he
has a plenty of money ; but in proportion as his rands
leave him, his dignity leaves him also ; he sinks lower
and lower, until number 4 catches him. And having got
thus low in the " sliding scale " of moral degradation, he
is generally called a rough gambler — one that plays at
, dray-pin lieu, &c. In this classification, number 3 in-
cludes the fighters, or bullies, profane swearers, and good
liquor drinkers. The number 4 gentleman stands by
with his sharp knife and dray-pin, but will not drink any
liquor while he is out on duty ; neither will he do any
of number l's fighting, but if there is any stealing to
be done, he is ready to bear a hand. Number 2 is one
of those little, close, narrow-contracted faro dealers ; one
of that swindling, penurious class, who, when he plays,

OF GAMBLING. 319

Various deceptive Tricks performed with Cards.

money, he would be ruined in the estimation of all who
knew him, and that he never intended to go or write
home, until he had made as much or more than he
had lost

There is a base trick that is often played in coffee-
bouses in New Orleans, and some other cities. A gam-
bler will form a partial acquaintance with a man whom he
knows, or supposes, to have money ; and if he does not
play at any of the well-known games, the gambler will
ask him to take a walk, pretending that he has some
curiosity to show some part of the town to him. The
man, perhaps, consents to accompany him ; and on their
way the sportsman will ask the person into the coffee-
house to drink with him ; and if he makes an excuse, the
reply will be, " You will go in and see me drink. 1 * Not
wishing to offend him, and thinking there is no harm in
merely bearing him company, the man goes in with him.
There will be a man in the coffee-house, who acts as
though he was a little drunk ; this man is a secret
partner of the gambler who came in with the stranger,
and will propose playing cards for the drinks. This the
gambler will do, and beats his secret partner, who
proposed the game. This man will then say, " There is
a game- you cannot beat me at;' 1 and he takes three
cards — two red and one black; these he will turn and
shuffle a little, then inquire of the gambler if he can tell
the black card : he says, " I can ; " the other responds,
" I will bet you cannot," and will then turn away to
drink, and the gambler will turn the corner of the black
card a little up. The player turns from his glass, and
turns up the black card, with its corner still bent, which
he does not seem to notice ; he then lays it with the
other two, and works them over and over, and vol «a

SBO ARTS AND MISERIES

Various deceptive Tricks with Carts. — Solitary.

doing, he will smooth that corner, and turn op a corner
of one of the red cards. He will then offer to bet a large
amount that none present can tell the Mack card. Most
persons unused to the intrigues of gamblers would be
willing to bet on this, when they would not be enticed
into a game. The stranger, who looks on, still sees a
corner turned up, and has not the least doubt but that it
is the same that the gambler turned up, until he pays
dearly for his knowledge to the contrary. No person is
safe from the devices of gamblers so long as he will
suffer himself to be in their company, and venture to bet
on their games or tricks. There are none, no, not one,
that is not deceptive.

Solitary. — This is a game that is played by but one
person. By some it is played, when they are alone, for
amusement or diversion only ; by others, for purposes of
gain. It is played as follows : A person takes a pack
of cards and shuffles them ; he then lays off cards from
the top, turning their faces up as be lays them off. He
is not allowed to make more than four heaps until he
comes to an ace, and every ace begins an additional heap.
He is then to put the cards upon the aces in the order
of their pips; a deuce on an ace, and a three on a> deuce,
&c, until each heap that began with an ace is com-
pleted regularly from ace to king. It is of no con-
sequence about following suit ; any card that has the
regular number of pips to make the order complete, is
proper. The four heaps that began without aces, are
only to aid in completing those that began with aces ; so
that in the end there must be bnt four heaps. The
player cannot go below the top card of any of his heaps
to get a card, but must make complete his ace heaps by
taking cards only from the too ; and when there are no

OF GAMBLING. 223

Trickf in Horse-racing.

lishment. The one in the office will inquire the amount
of your funds, and then draw you a check on some good
bank in the state where you wish it, and take your funds.
When you present this check, the bank knows nothing
of any such man, and tells you it is a forgery. When
you return to the broker's, the place is shut up, and no
one knows of any such person, and you find you have
been most wickedly swindled. Persons visiting New
Orleans, and having money to exchange, should be very
careful about taking checks, as this cheat is often prac-
tised when there is a chance of getting a pretty good
amount, and then these .sharpers change the scene of
their operations to some other place. In all such cases
the two persons are partners.

TRICI8 IN HORSE-RACING.

The race-ground may be justly styled an immense
gambling-house. There is generally not a building on a
race-course, that is not, in part at least, occupied by the
gamblers ; from the one who bets his thousands on his
horse, to the petty blackleg who plays "thimbles" for a
picayune. All those games and cheats used by gamblers
are put in practice here, on all parts of the ground. In
the Southern States, the females visit and share in the ex-
citements of the race to quite as great an extent as the
genteel portion of the males. They go there, and select
their favorite horse, and often bet largely on the races.
AIj these things, taken together, render the race-course

224 ARTS AND MISERIES x

^— ii .— ^^— — .

Tricks in Uorse-racnf.

more extensively injurious in its influence thin any other
resort of gamblers.

Having spoken elsewhere of the various cheats in
gaming, I will here relate one used in horse-racing.
There was a man in Kentucky noted for making match
races ; and a club of men went to the expense of pro-
curing a fast horse in order to beat a horse which he
boasted much of. The jockey closed the agreement for a
race with a bet of about two thousand dollars ; and the
club was very certain of beating the jockey. When the
day arrived for the race, and the horses started, the club
horse went ahead of the jockey's immediately, and took
the inside track, nearest the fence. At the first turn, he
fell to his knees, and while recovering himself, the slow
horse got ahead of him, and after running some distance,
the fast horse fell again, and the jockey's slow horse won
the race. The fast horse having become lame from his
fall, his owners were much chagrined at their misfor-
tune; and on the next morning went to the jockey's
lodgings, to endeavor to close another race with him.
The landlord informed them that he had left the even-
ing before, soon after the race was over. This sudden
departure, after a successful race, excited their suspicions
of foul play. They then examined the track, and found
that the jockey had dug a number of small holes on the
inside of the track, and put gourds in them, spreading a
little loose dirt over them ; and when the fast horse ran
close to the fence, he would tread on these gourds, and
would sink and stumble ; thus giving the slow horse an
opportunity of running ahead of him. When this dis-
covery was made, they decided on having a race at all
events, and so chased the gentleman nearly a hundred
miles, but did not succeed in overtaking him, This raoe

Tht Gambltr 1 , Date

OF GAMBLING. 226

True Picture of the Gambler's Destiny.

was as interesting, or more so, than the first. The
jockey was a very noted character among those of his
profession, and well known generally, and, as may well
be supposed, was never afterwards allowed to enter a
horse on any course throughout the state.

T1UE PICTURE OF THE GAMBLER'S DESTINY.

Our Fancy, should we call on her for a personification
of Virtue, would be likely to present her to us under the
form of a beautiful maiden, in white attire, tripping, in
the light of a spring morning, through the green land-
scape, with an eye and step of artless innocence, a look
of the benignancy of one who is doing good, a bosom
beating so freely as to seem formed to reveal whatever
was inmost, and, withal, having about her whole aspect a
something perfectly indescribable, yet which would tell us
in a moment who she was, and what was her errand.

Then if, as a counterpart to this, we should ask for a
picture of Vice, might she not, if she had an eye to the
gambler, symbolize it to us in the shape (but how shall
I say it?) of a man, hard-featured indeed, and forbidding ;
but now, with an assumed and guileful smile, he is seated
in a room flaringly lighted, in the midst of a thousand
strange implements and pieces of furniture, all looking
as if contrived for some hellish art, while in the back-
ground is a hall full of revelry, and close by its side a
mysteriously dark staircase, so dark that he who viewed
it could not help thinking that it led to some awful
place. Thus seated, he is holding by the hand the son

236 ARTS AND MISERIES

True Picture of tue Gambler's Destiny.

of virtuous parents, and of many hopes ; and while the
tears of brothers and sisters entreat him to let the young
man go, that he may return to his and their peaceful
* home, the wretch still holds him fast by his vile en-
chantments, and, drawing him still closer, under pretence
of showing him some new art of pleasure and profit, with
the one hand niches his purse, and With the other stabs
him dead, and kills his immortal soul.

Such a picture would resemble the gambler in more
points than one.

It was not by one step, or in one moment, that he
attained his present character. No! he has passed
through scenes fearfully depraving; he has corrupted
others, and cannot fail to have corrupted himself.

He who riots on the ill-gotten gains of the gaming-
table, even supposing all to have been fair play, can
hardly escape feeling something of the taint and con-
sciousness of dishonesty. It is not easy to say whether
it be praise to the purity, or censure on the weakness of
human virtue, to affirm, that she cannot mingle with the
defilements of vice without being in some , measure
contaminated.

And who shajl experience this effect in its most
baleful extent, if not he who makes a particular vice his
avocation and his livelihood ; who meditates its arts and
deceits by day, and practises them on his fellows by
night; who, having tutored himself in this iniquitous
mystery, is daily striving to initiate others?*— a fearful
initiation, before which it is necessary that virtuous feel-
ing, conscience, and peace of mind, all be exorcised.

If gaming life have a bright side, it must lie in having
a flush of wealth, and living in a splendid dissipation.
Yet, with both these, a man may be truly miserable.

OP GAMBLING. 22?

True Picture of the Gambler** Deetiny.

Now, if suoh be the parts that strike the eye as brightest
and most pleasing, what must the dark side be ! The
.gambler's wealth is of all kinds the most unstable, and
his respectability lasts only with his money. The mixed
excitement and fatigue of gaming prompt to the use of
spirituous refreshments; and the company that rises from
the play are apt to lift the glass both frequently and high.
The votary of one vice cannot easily resist the tempta-
tions of another ; and thus it frequently happens that we
find the gambler at one stage of his life the high liver,
and at another the low sot.

It was disputed before King Darius, by the three wise
children of Juda, which of the three, wine, the king, or
woman, is the strongest ; and he who held the superior
strength of the last, urged that for her sake many had
both erred, sinned, and perished.

But with whom shall the enticements of impure love
be so successful, as with those who have passed the
evening at play and carousal ?

In the following pages we will endeavor to show what
the gambler is, by holding up to view sketches of living
instances, which, though imperfect, we doubt not can be
recognized by many.

But few would enter into association with the gambler,
if they knew who he was, and what his arts were. He
fits np, it may be, an elegant saloon, and decks it off
with showy furniture. This makes the person who visits
it -feel that he is spending his time quite fashionably ; for
how conld it be otherwise, when he is surrounded with
so much elegance, and conversing with such fine gen-
tlemen ?

His gaming apparatus, too, he pleads, are only instru-
ments of divertisement, and the stake merely a some-

330 ARTS AND MISERIES

DWofM between an honorable Judge aad a Gambler.

statute of the state you were examining, or the history of
the four kings.

Judge. Yes, I am in a different station now ; and, as
such is the fact, I have come to the conclusion not to
gamble any more. You see, sir, the station that I have
to nil will not permit me to play cards upon any condition
whatever. If I was to, and it should be found out, it
would injure my standing very much with a class of men
with whom it is my interest to keep on the right side.

Gambler. O, yes, judge; certainly the right way for
you to do, is, to keep the right side of people, and their
purses too ; of course, you expect to do that for your
own benefit, as you go along ; do you not?

Judge. What ! do you mean to say that I am not to
be relied on in the station I now fill ?

Gambler. O, no, certainly not But look here, judge ;
there is no use of your putting on such a long face at the
start, for fear that you have to take another position
before you get through.

Judge. No, sir ; when I set myself against any thing
of the kind, I stop it instantly ; and when I was elevated
to this position, I then pledged myself to abstain entirely.

Gambler. Well, judge, that was all right, I suppose :
you never have broken the pledge, of course.

Judge. No, and never intend to ; but I may take an
interest in a game, now and then, when I have time to
look on, merely for amusement.

Gambler. Well, judge, I suppose that has been the
case in the last week back ; has it not ?

Judge. Look here ; I tell you, positively, I never will
put confidence in another sporting man as long as I live ;
they could not keep a secret to save their lives, though it
might ruin them and every friend they have. Then I

OP GAMBLING. 931

Dialogue between an honorable Judge and a Gambler.

suppose that numskull has told you a great deal ; has
he not?

Gambler. O, no, not much ; he merely said you had
been playing a small game with him and two others ; but
you know how that went down with me. When he said
you and, he did not lose, as you are not in the habit of
losing, why, of course that was not strange to me, as I
knew he himself was a No. 1. See here, judge ; cannot
you get me in that game ? You know he and I can win
every dollar that is shown — or make you do it;' and
they will hare no idea that we are interested.

Judge. All this might do well enough, were I to win
all the money, 'So as to let none of them know who either
of you are. But were they to find that out, it would be
a bad go. You must know that a man situated as I am,
will never be willing to take less than half of any game,
as we have all to risk. You know they were near
suspecting me for making up that game of whist, on the
steamboat, last winter; and have suspected you for an
acquaintance of mine, as smart as it was managed. But
now I have no such fears, as the generality of people
dare not express themselves, even if they should suspect
me. But I tell you, once for all, that I must have one
half of the game, whether I play all the time or not ; so
that I introduce you, and you get the game, I must have
one half. You understand that ?

Gambler. O, yes! But, judge, one third, I think*,
would be right ; you know he and 1 are both poor ; and,
you see, we have all the work to do.

Judge. O, well, certainly, one third. But, then, you
must see me righted, as I would not risk that other fellow
any farther than I could see him ; and then do you put a
padlock on his mouth ; tell him to recollect he will want

9tt ARTS AND MISERIES

to deal faro here, in time of the races ; and he knows,
then, that I and the prosecuting attorney will hare him
between our fingers. Apprise him of this, and other
advantages that he can ha? e by being true to his trust
You tell him the nature of it, as you understand it
better, perhaps, than he; as you and I have had con-
siderable dealings in our lifetime, and are likely to have
more, and of greater importance. And as he is some
little acquainted with me, there is no way to get rid of
him on good terms ; but you take and give him a good
going over. Convince him of the importance of keeping
his tongue between his teeth ; tell him that the state's
attorney and I understand each other. I will let you
know in what way you and he are to act, by notes which
you will get through the post-office in the same name.
You always correspond with me ; but don't let him know
in what way you get your intelligence ; keep him as far
off as possible. In the mean time, I will see the prose-
cuting attorney, and through him and myself,- you can
get into all the games of consequence that are played
throughout the circuit ; but never take it upon yourself
to speak to either of us in any other way than through
the post-office.

Gambler. Certainly not, judge ; we will do every thing
right in our line, I assure you. Fear nothing on our
part; you get the pigeon, and we will pick it so slick,
Ijftdt no one but the pigeon will know that a feather is
missing. But I say, judge 1 there is one kind of officers
that I can never get the run of; and that is our sheriffik

Judge. Well, now, I can tell you they are the easiest
men for you to get the hang of, among all the public
officers; and you never need miss one. Whenever you
see or know one of them who merely sits down and plays

OF GAMBLING. 283

Dialog** between an honorable Judge and a Gambler.

for amusement, you then can approach him with safety,
and he will always favor you for a small per cent. And
should he ever be seen talking familiarly to the gamblers
of his acquaintance, and letting on as if he loses his ten
or twenty of a night, merely to amuse him, and letting
the game-keeper know that he is in favor, you need
never have any delicacy in asking him to take an interest
with you ; there is nothing more certain than his taking
the interest without the least hesitancy. The only man
who holds that office, that you need fear, is the man
who never visits the gambling man, unless he has a writ
to serve on him; and when you have made inquiries
among the acquaintances of this kind of an officer, and
they say he never plays either for amusement or money,
then you have no right to suspect that he will take an
interest with you; but this I tell you, that times are
much more favorable now than they were some years
ago ; you don't find so many of these long-faced fellows
in office, and it is much easier on the gambling com-
munity. Although they have pretty severe laws in some
o£ our states, yet they have officers who know how to
arrange things so as to make it easy upon their friends
of this class.

Gambler. Well, judge, I see through the -character of
this sheriff plainly ; and since you point it out, I cannot
see how any body else should mistake a man, when his
daily conduct speaks so loud what he is within. I say,
judge, if the enemies of our profession could get the run
of our dealings, and discover- our ingenuity, there would
be odd kinds of times in old Kentuck ; but there is not
much danger, as the majority of our officers are favorable
to the trade; so, judge, as we have come to a final
understanding, I will bid you good day-

20*

M4 ARTS AND MISERIES

DMogM betw«Mi a Cuatu— »■■ sad a ntiaslrr

Dialogue between a Congressman and a Gambler.

This dialogue actually occurred between a r e pit s esUaU vc and a
professional gambler. They met in Washington by a g re em ent,
and the member of congress was interested in every game that
was played by his sporting friend daring the session. It can be
relied on as a true representation of the characters of some in both
houses of congress, as well as of our state legislature.

Gambler. How do you come on now-a-days t Since
you were elected, a man scarcely gets eyes upon you.

Representative. O, yes, I have been making ar-
rangements to leave for Washington city, and I want
you to go with me. What do you think of it? Do you
think we will have a fine time ?

Gambler. In what respect? I visited our seat of
government about three years ago, with one of our sena-
tors, who had held out great inducements to me, and who
told me that, if I would go and deal faro, he would take
an interest with me, and that he would bring me men of
all classes. He said all of the members gambled, with
the exception of some fifteen or twenty ; and all those
that played had plenty of money. Well, this I found
true, in relation to their playing and having plenty of
money; but I found they were somewhat like himself;
they had got sportsmen to accompany them. This J
learned from the sporting class soon after I arrived.
I got me a room, fitted it up, and spread my faro tools,
and he got some one or two men to come and play, and
I made about five hundred dollars. Well, this so stimu-
lated him that he went off the next night, and got drunk,
and I did not get to see him for some four or five days,
unless it would be when he was attending to his official

OF GAMBLING. 285

Diatefuc between a Congrennun and a Gambler*

duties. Daring the time of his absence, no person,
.except sportsmen, visited me. Well, finally I found out
he had been playing, and lost about five hundred dollars,
and he was ashamed that I should know it This
satisfied me. I then packed up and returned home,
coming to the conclusion that the seat of government,
although a place to make laws, and a place where the
good citizens in general assemble, was quite as bad as
any other place I ever was in, and where gamblers were
more generally sustained by the citizens. Not that I
had any objections to their encouraging the trade ; but to
find out the kind of characters that are selected by the
people, to both houses, surprised me. Indeed, card-tables
were as common among the members as among the
thorough-bred gamblers, and in fact some of them told
me that they had been professional men for years ; and
if that is the class that I am to be introduced to when I
go to Washington, I don't want to go, as I can get
enough easier games to play at home.

Representative. Well, do you expect to find men of
the same grade in congress ? Every thing there is done
op in order, and there we get a specified salary, and do
not indulge in playing only very privately ; and you know
that I never get drunk — so, if any body should get drunk,
they would fall in my hands, and I would soon convey
them over to you to sober them. Now, let me explain to
you the advantage in being in with a member. You
know that we are acquainted with one another in two
days after we arrive; and our acquaintance is general
throughout both houses. Well, every man has his
business to attend to, and one particular branch that I
shall attend to, will be to see how many I can bring to
jour room; and then you must make it your point of the

S&6 ARTS AND MISERIES

III I ^fc—*^MIMM>ta

Dialogue between a Ooogrearamn and a Climhlwr.

business to win every dollar that shows itself. Yott
know that men of every grade are bound to visit Wash-
ington, and that gives a man a fine opportunity to do
whatever he pleases. But I tell you I must be shy about
it ; my friends at home tell me that people are getting
out of the notion of supporting a gambling man, although
they admit that I would be their choice if I did not
gamble ; and they are right, for I tell you the plain truth,
the faro room has more enchantment for me than all
other places that ever I was in, although it has been the
ruination of me all my life. But from this out, I will
quit betting, and take an interest in the bank, and pick
up the unsuspecting ; and I tell you it is a true saying,
that " a drowning man will catch at a straw," and that
suits my case at the present time, for I expect to make
five thousand clear of my salary this session. I know>a
great many who will visit Washington on business, and
most all of them play more or less ; some of them for
amusement — but you know the nature of that kind of
players ; treat them to a fine supper, and give them fine
wine to drink, and fine cigars to smoke, it is very apt to
make a man forget himself when he has good, jovial
company. That is the way the game of faro was in-
troduced to me, and when I just took a look at the
implements, I thought it would be a long time before
they got me to bet ; but, sir, in a few nights, with their
fine suppers, wine, cigars, and the like, they caught me
up, and I lost a thousand dollars the first night. I well
remember that it was one of our representatives who
introduced the men that won it. Well, sir, that gave
me a start, and I lost all of the money I had, and then
borrowed until my credit gave out, and then I run my
father and brother's credit, until I injured them very

OF GAMBLING. 237

. DWofue between a Congressman and a Gambler.

much, and had then to set down close to the practice of
the law; and ever since, every dollar I have made by
my profession they have won from me. And now that I
have been elected, I expect to pick up some one in the
same way ; and I have come to the conclusion that most
every thing a man can do now-a-days is fair.

- Gambler. Well, really, those are my sentiments. But
Jet me tell you that the first thing that ever gave me
confidence in the gambling line, was to see so many men
of your class, and all others, participating in the hazard
of the card-table. I was never more surprised, than
when I first saw you playing cards ; not knowing you, I
remarked to a partner that you had a soft game. Yon
were playing with a judge of the Circuit Court, and one or
two other officers of distinction ; and I thought, when I
first cast my eyes upon the table, that you were sportsmen,
instead of lawyers, judges, and the like ; and to see the
way you and they bet, satisfied me that I need not
hesitate to go ahead when I saw the very men taking a
part, whose duty I knew it was to put it down. 1
thought, then, if the citizens knew that you indulged in
this way, there would be a different arrangement through-
out the United States. Well, sir, from that time out I
always felt as much at home when in company with any
man who played for amusement, as I would among the
sportsmen themselves, for I always noticed that a man
who merely played for amusement, and who could see no
harm in it, never could see any impropriety in gamblers'
betting as much as they pleased of their own money.
And since I have noticed the class of officers who
encourage card-playing in the way they do, I have been
fully satisfied that any way a man could get money
without stealing was right ; and I have one thing always

238 ARTS AND MISERIES

DialofM betweea a GauUer an4 a Tnrolttag Agent.

to console me — that is, that I am not alone in my
thoughts on the subject Well, I think I will go with
you ; but if I do, you must see me out, if I should get
into difficulty, as I shall not have many friends in that
part

Representative. O, you need not fear but that all
things will be right in that respect You see, you and
I will form an acquaintance there, the same as other
strangers do ; and when we have any business to transact,
we must do it in a private manner, in order to keep down
suspicion. But you will not find as many low-bred,
suspicious persons living there as here. All you have to
do is to sit in your room, and I will get a plenty of game,
and then, you see, there will be no danger of your being
troubled, as I will never introduce any but transient
customers.

Gambler. Well, then, I will be ready, and leave in
about three days after you do, so that it may not be
suspected that you and I are in any wise connected.

Representative. Well, then, I will sleep contented
to-night on the strength of it.

Gambler. Yes, you will find me there according to
promise, and not a day behind the time ; so all is under-
stood between you and me. Good day

Dialogue between a Gambler and a Travelling

Agent.

The following dialogue is a true one, and was taken from a con-
venation between a gambler and an eastern gentleman, who was
acting as agent for different houses and newspapers in the south.

OF GAMBLING. 239

DteltgM between a Gambler aad a TmveUinf

Gambler. Halloo ! old fellow, how are you ?

Agent. How do you do yourself?

Gam b l er. Not altogether as well as I could wish;
the times have been pretty hard on me.

Agent. Ah ! how so ? and how did you get here, if
that k the case?

Gambler. Well, now, let me tell you. I have been
on board eight different steamboats from Memphis to
$fow Orleans, besides on one flat-boat ; — now, what do
yea think of that?

Agent. Well, that was hard, sure enough! — But
how did that happen ?

Gambler. Well, I will tell you. I got on one boat,
and travelled about one hundred miles before they asked
me for my passage money, and when they found out that
I had none, they set me ashore. It was not long before
the second one came along, and I got on her, and such
was her speed that we caught up to the first one in about
an hour, when I, forgetting myself in my great desire to
^Miimp important airs, (in which we sporting gentlemen
are not deficient,) stepped upon the hurricane deck, pulled
off my hat, and gave them three cheers. This, of course,
would make the passengers on the other boat notice me,
as well as those on the boat where I was. No sooner
had I given my cheers, than the captain of the other boat
said, " Hallo, captain ! I set that fellow ashore, about an
hour ago, as I found out he was trying to pass himself
off for a gentleman, though he had no money to pay his
passage." I tell you what it is, I then would have
given a round hundred dollars, had it been convenient,
to have not given the cheers, and five hundred if they
had not returned them in the way they did. Well, sir,
ia a &w minutes up comes the clerk, in a very polite

MO ARTS AMD MISERIES

Mia

way. Said be, " Excuse me, bet it is our rale for gentle-
men, when they have no baggage, to pay their passage
upon the entering of their names." At this I e jec t e d to
be highly offended, and told him to set me ashore in-
stantly, as I was grossly insulted. " Certainly," replied
he, " that is just what we will do." So in a few inmate*
1 was on shore again. I, however, got on the next beat,
end, after travelling all night and the next morning, I was
asked to pay my passage, and then, as usual, I had to
" walk the plank." And this was the way with all the
boats, until I got on the eighth, and they put themselves
to a great deal of trouble to reach the shore in order to
accommodate me ; and when I got on board, they asked
me for my passage money, (being then about thirty
miles from the city.) I replied that I would pay when
we arrived at the city, and that I was a merchant there.
This had scarcely been oat of my mouth, when up
stepped a fellow, who had seen me set on shore a few days
before ; then my cake was dough once more. " Well,"
said the captain, (for he was up to snuff, being an old
codger,) " have you any objections to working your
passage ? " " Indeed," says I, " captain, I cannot work —
see how tender my hands are ! " " O," said he, " the
work I require you to do will not affect your hands;
come with me." I followed him down into the engine
room ; he then made a rope fast round my two wrists,
and attached it to the engine, and told me I had to keep
with the motion of the engine ; and, as there was no other
alternative, I had to travel backwards and forwards as the
piston went! — and thus he kept me running until the
boat landed about ten miles above the city, when I
begged him to let me go on shore, as I certainly would
prefer walking. This request he granted, telling me

OF GAMBLING. Ml

Dialogue between a Gambler and a Travailing Aftat.

nerer to try such projects again. I got leave to ride
down from there on a flat-boat.

Agent. Indeed, you have had a hard time of it; and
you are the last man I should have expected to see in
this city.

Gambler. Why so? Is it any more singular that J
should get here than the rest of the boys ? since, when
I saw you last in Louisville, you had not much yourself
But as there are several listening, we had better stop
talking until some more convenient time.

Agent. O, no ; that makes no difference to me. I do
not. think you know me ; the only places I ever saw you,
are in Nashville, Tennessee, and other places in that
state — but never in Louisville.

Gambler. (Aside.) Confound the fellow ! I have been
talking to a man that knows me, and I know nothing
about him, but took him to be one of the boys. (Aloud.)
O, I say, old fellow, this confab of mine was a mere
romance ; no such thing ever happened to me ; I am a
different man altogether. But pray, sir, why were you
so astonished at seeing me here ?

Agent. Ton do not know me, do you f I say I saw
you at the races in Tennessee last week. "**

Gambler. O, yes, I was all through Tennessee at the
different races, and won many of the purses through the

Agent. Ah I in what way ?

Gambler. (Aside.) Confound the fellow I he appears to
know me ; but I will make out every minute as if he
never saw me. — (Aloud.) Why, sir, in what way does
any gentleman sportsman win purses''

Argent. Well, sir, that is a class of men that, fbrtu-

21

849 ARTS AND MISKRrES

Dtalofue be t w een a Gambler nd a Trmvelttng Afort.

nately, I never had much acquaintance with, and never
intend to have.

(rambler. 1 won the panes by entering horses, as other
gentlemen did. How did yon expect me to have won
them ? — Sir, I demand an explanation ! This is a
pretty way for yon to throw out insinuations before these
strangers. Explain yourself! — (Aside.) I would a little
rather he would not.

Agent. Well, now, Mr. Importance, since you are so
anxious that I should explain myself, I will do so. I must
let you know who I am, and the capacity I am in. I am
an agent and collector from the east, having bills to
collect from men that call themselves sportsmen, in
that part of the country. I called on them, and presented
my accounts. Many of them told me that I must go to
the race-course ; that they were playing different games,
and there they would pay me, if they got any game ; and
this was the way I found it throughout all of the states
among this gentry. And as the race-course was the only
place where I could make any collections, of course J had
to attend them.

Gambler. My good sir, you are entirely off the
subject. You see, gentlemen, the young man does not
know what he wishes to say himself. He is a good sort
of a fellow, I have no doubt, and wished to say some-
thing, but did not know what it should be ; but it is all
right, since it shall make no difference with you and me ;
out hereafter, mind and know what you are talking about.

Agent. If you are through, sir, I will proceed, and
finish what I have to say in relation to yourself and some
of your acquaintances.

Gambler. Certainly, sir, proceed. — (Aside.) But I
would much rather he would stop where he is.

OF GAMBLING. 243

Dialogue between a Gambler and a Travelling Agent

Agent. On my first visit to the race-course at Nash-
ville, I saw you, braced back, dealing faro, with a large
regalia cigar and a ruffled shirt, and that ruffle so large
you could scarce see over it. I believe you have the
same shirt on now, but the ruffle is turned in ; is it not?
The next place on the track I saw you, you were plagjng
at roulette. On the same track, the next day, you had
on an old slouched hat, and were playing chucker-luck ;
and the next time I saw you, it was at the entrance of
the track on the outside, with your foot up on a stump,
playing the thimbles : and these are the different atti-
tudes I saw you in, on the Nashville track.

Gambler. Ah ! I just know now whom you have refer-
ence to : it is a brother of mine. Poor, unfortunate
fellow ! He was misled by some of the class you speak
of; and I have heard ofthis smart tricks many times,
and I tell you, colonel, he is hard to beat ! — From what
I have heard myself, if he gets broke dealing faro, he flies
to roulette ; if he cannot make money sufficient at that,
he, like all the sporting gentry, plays the three little
thimbles, or ths grandmother's trick of the three cards,
or most any thing else, until he gets sufficient money to
promote him. But for my part. I never have been ad-
dicted to card-playing. I, as I said before, run fine
horses, and win a purse ; and that is the amount of my
gambling.

Agent. Look here ! you need not put on any airs with
me. You are the man I have reference to, and no
•jrother about it.

Gambler. Me, sir !

Agent. Yes, no other but you, sir !

Gambler. Do you pretend to say that I never ruu for
a purse ?

344 ARTS AND MISERIES

DWogne between a Gambler and a Travelling Agent.

Agent. O no, certainly not; I had no reference to
your running yourself for a purse. But I bad reference
to your never entering of horses to run for any.

Gambler. Look here, young man; you will get my
dander up, the first thing you know. You see, gentle-
men, he is trying to quiz me. Now, sir, come oat and
explain yourself.

Agent. Well, now, sir, that is quite easy. You know,
gentlemen, there are various kinds of purses that are run
lor 7 and there is one kind entirely different from all the
rest. This purse is generally run for by a class of men
that call themselves sportsmen, but are nothing more nor
less than gamblers or blacklegs. This purse that I speak
of is what is generally called the landlord's purse, or
bill ; and that is the kind that this gentleman ran for, I
believe. At the end of every race week, he ran off with-
out paying his bill ; whether he had money or not, I can-
not say. And the way they do this is, one of the clan,
or perhaps two, will claim all the baggage when they go
to leave, and, paying their own bilk, take the baggage that
they bring, or at least they have in their own room ; and
the landlord has no right to take their trunks for the
other man's bill. True, when they come to the tavern,
you will think they are all brothers ; but when they leave,
they are all strangers to one another, with the exception
of one or two who carry the rest \ This number they
select for baggage carriers at the beginning of the races,
and the caravan travels from one part to another in this
way ; but the baggage men always are bound to pay their
own bills. And thus they have their baggage carried
from one place to another, swindling honest people of
their honest dues. Then, you see, the purse or bill J

OF GAMBLING. 245

Dialogue between a Gambler and a Travelling Agent.

speak of is very interesting for this class to run for on
the last day I

Gambler. Look here, my good sir ; do you say that I
i un off every time that I attend the races ?

Agent. Yes ; to my knowledge you ran off without
paying your bills five different times at different tracks,
and attempted it at the sixth ; but, the landlord having
heard what a villain you were, the last night of the races
at Memphis, he locked your door, and put a watch at
your room, to prevent your leaving without your paying
your bill ; and that night, about eleven o'clock, you were
found trying to get out, which you effected, and the
landlord caught you, and made you tell where you carried
your baggage — and that was in your hat! You had,
as your wardrobe, one shirt, one pair of socks, one
chucker-luck box, two or three sorts of dice, one deck
of cards, and about half a dozen thimbles ! The land-
lord, with an officer, led you off to jail ; and when I
left, the next day, they told me about thirteen out of
twenty of your apparently most intimate friends had left
between two days, without paying their bills, or even
bidding the landlord farewell. And when I left, you
were still in jail, and that was the reason of my surprise
when I saw you here !

Gambler. Well, I give it up. You can tell any thing
the smoothest, and get over it slicker, and make the
fattest joke out of it, and tell it with a better face than
any other man I ever saw. — But look ye here ; I will not
stand such talk about me. I will let you know that I
will not be trifled with by such a man as you.

Agent. Mind! I will tell something more, if you
don't hush ; and you know it is the truth.

Gambler. Well, sir, I have one request to make of you
21*

346 ARTS AND MISERIES

— that is, for you to leave me, and never speak to mt
again!

Agent. Now you are talking sensibly ! — That I will
certainly do, as I feel ashamed of myself for having been
caught talking so long to you in public ', and had it been
in private, sir, I would not have been seen by an honest
man for any consideration whatever. ' But now, after this,
take my advice, and never put on airs without knowing
whom it is with. — So I leave you.

>S^»WWS*%<»^N«V»%^/V>/^<S^»W^»*»^»*»^»»

INGENUITY OF fiAIBLBM.

I have had frequent occasion to speak of the ingenuity
which the gambler displays, in different forms, in order to
deceive those who are so unfortunate as to be thrown
into his power. I have met with men of this stamp
often, who, if you were travelling in their company,
would so manage, that, without the slightest suspicion, on
your part, of any sinister design, they would soon ascer-
tain what was your business, where you were going, how
long you expected to remain, how much money you had,
and whether you play cards ; and if you do, what your
favorite game is, and whether you bet high; and, in
short, every thing relating to your history and movements
that can, in any way, be made to subserve bis swindling
designs, will he manage to possess himself of. And, in
order more effectually to ingratiate himself into your
regard, he will find out what is your hobby, (for almost
every man has a hobby of some kind,) and while, with
seeming admiration, he is listening to you on your fa*

OF GAMBLING. 247

Ingenuity of professional GanMers.

vorite themes, he will be studying jour character, and
learning at what points you may be assailed with the
greatest probability of success. He will have you sur-
rounded with hearers, apparently very much interested in
your conversation ; you, in the mean time, but little sus-
pecting that this seemingly respectable and edified com-
pany is made up of sharpers of all the various grades
from number 1 to number 4, inclusive. And if it should
be found that you are not a fit subject for number 1, he
will let number 2 take you and deal with you ; and if he
does not succeed, be will hand you over to number 3 ;
and if he, in his turn, is not successful, he passes you on
to number 4, who stands ready to have every thing put in
operation, as soon as a convenient opportunity presents
itself; keeping his eye upon you with the vigilance and
rapacity of a hawk, until a favorable place and moment
arrives for putting his nefarious purposes into execution.
This may appear to be strange, and quite incredible, to
many inexperienced people, who are in the habit of giv-
ing all whom they meet credit for actually being what
they seem to be ; but still, this is a true character of
those different classes of men. I do not wish the reader
to understand me to say, that every person they meet
with, and attempt to practise upon, falls a victim to these
base classes of men ; but let me assure you, that many
an unsuspecting youth has been entrapped and ruined in
the same way I have just described. True, they often
find that those whom they endeavor to entrap, are as much
experienced, and as cunning, as themselves ; and it gener-
ally requires but a few minutes' conversation to make this
discovery ; but even those who have much experience in
the rascality of mankind, cannot always successfully pro-
tect themselves against the complicated villanies of these

248 ARTS AND MISERIES

Ingenuity of professional Gamblers.

men, and especially those who belong to numbers 3 and
4. And the principal design of this chapter is to put the
youthful and inexperienced on their guard/ lest they
should fall universally into the snare of these depredators,
who make rascality their constant study ; and depend
upon it, that, no matter in what way they may undertake
to deal with you, deception and fraud are at the bottom,
and at the very time when they appear the most fair and
plausible, it behoves you to be the most cautious and
circumspect; for, ten to one, they are at that very mo-
ment meditating some deep and irreparable mischief to
you. The only safe rule that any one can lay down for
himself, in reference to such people, is, " Come out from
among them, and be thou separate ; touch not, taste not,
handle not.' 1 The more solemnly he asseverates, and
the more fairly he speaks, the more closely should you
watch him ; for he will carry his point at all hazards,
when his interest, or his imagined interest, calls for it.
And of one thing you may be quite .certain — that he
would have nothing to do with you unless he has a pros-
pect of turning it to his own profit If he keeps about
you, and dogs your path, it is for the same reason that
birds of prey follow the path of an army ; it is not your
good that 4 he aims at, no matter what his glozing pro-
fessions may be — it is your downfall, your utter destruc-
tion in character, fortune, and happiness, forever.

The gambler, that is, the thorough-bred gambler, will,
by certain mysterious motions, to which they are ac-
customed, communicate their thoughts and sentiments to
each other as plainly as you could explain any thing with
a pen, ink, and paper ; and yet, at the same time, keep
their designs totally concealed from all present, except
those of their own clique. This they will do by certain

OF GAMBLING. 249

Ingenuity of professional Gamblers.

gestures and remarks, which they are in the habit of
making. For instance, should you be conversing on
some subject, and should the man you are conversing
with answer you in a way calculated to confuse you, at
the time that such an answer is made, then look out, for
he is then talking in such a way that his partner may
understand him, however mysterious or unintelligible it
may appear to you. This kind of artifice is what is
familiarly called, among gamblers, " flash ; " and to
illustrate more fully what is meant by it, such an exam-
ple as the following may be mentioned : Suppose you
were sitting at play, and should remark that you are very
much fatigued; "Yes," says one at the table, "any
time." You will certainly ask what he said. He will
then reply to you in this way : " Did you say, Let us
all take something to drink ? " Now, the object of the
first reply will be to apprize bis partner that it is neces-
sary to do something that will have a tendency to excite
you, so as to prevent you from leaving the table until
they win your money. This is merely a specimen of
their use of this kind of artifice when at play. The
forms in which they carry out this device are almost in-
finitely diversified, and by noticing particularly, you may
detect them in the practice of it ; but you will find it
impossible to tell precisely what they mean. And it
would not be in my power to explain it all so as to be
understood by any, except those thorough-bred gamblers
who are spoken of in the thermometer of the different
degrees of gambling. These signs are learned by the fre-
quent repetition of them, and by this means they ere
long become as familiar with them as the schoolboy is
with his alphabet.
It is not to be expected that I should be acquainted

360 ARTS AMD MISERIES

Ingenuity of professional Gamblers.

with all the various forms of deception that are practised
by that unfortunate class of men treated of in this book.
But what I have had the misfortune to observe and
experience, for about twelve years, in this mode of life, or
so much thereof as may be profitable to the community,
I have endeavored, and will continue to endeavor, to lay
before them in the best manner that my abilities will
admit of; hoping, in this way, so to lay bare their dark
and ruinous contrivances, as that they shall, in a great
manner, become useless to them, and, at the same time,
so arm the inexperienced and unsuspecting against them,
that they shall find it more and more difficult, if not
entirely impossible, to entangle them in those snares
with which they are constantly striving to beset their
paths.

I know that there are many among gamblers who would
(if they dare to do so) contradict many of the statements
and disclosures which this book contains; for they will,
no doubt, feel that, if such efforts as I am now making
should be countenanced by society, their craft will not
only be endangered, but in all probability destroyed.
They know, however, that their opposition would not be
likely to have much effect, unless it would be to give
greater credibility and currency to what I have written.
Their opposition (they very well know) would be at-
tributed, and very properly too, to a desire to suppress
and stifle the truth on this subject, and to prevent any
further exertions to tear the veil from their mysterious
and unprincipled proceedings. And though the reader
may have acquaintances who have hidden their faults
from him for years, when he opens this book, if he will
notice them a little more particularly, he will recognize
them in their true character; the mask wiU be rent

OF GAMBLING. 5251

Thermometer of the different Stages of a Gambling Life.

•■ander, and the dark-minded, heartless gambler will
■and confessed in all his nakedness and deformity ; and
the consequence will be, that he will have to change his
course, or forego the pleasure of all honorable society,
and have that place assigned him in the scale of moral
depravity to which he is so justly entitled. But I must
not consume the time of the reader: in moralizing on the
effects of the vice of gambling, when my principal object
is to present him -with facts, and leave him to draw from
them those salutary instructions and warnings, which, in
most cases, will arise so spontaneously in his own mind,
as to require but little in the form of comment or moral
reflection from my pen.

THERMOMETER OF THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF A

GAMBLING LIFE.

1. When the young man first wanders from that path
of rectitude, which an enlightened conscience and a vir-
tuous education have marked out before him.

2. When his evil passions are called into action, and
are strengthened by his forming associations with the
votaries of dissipation, and those who are more or less
hackneyed in the ways of vice.

2. When he begins to cease to feel ashamed at imitate
ing the conduct of his dissolute companions, and to lose
that respect and veneration that he has heretofore felt for
those parents or that guardian who has always manifested
an affectionate interest in his welfare.

4. When his mind has become so devoted to the so-

362 ART8<*ND MISERIES

cicty and habits of his abandoned associates, that he not
only ceases to be restrained by respect for his parents sr
guardian, bat will resort to dishonorable tricks, or ex-
pedients, for the purpose of blinding their minds as to
the downward coarse of life to which he is addicted.

5. When, at the very time that his parents or guardian
have had their fears quieted by his glozing promises and
protestations, he will privately steal away from their toot,
and throw himself into the arms of his profligate ac-
quaintances, and make a boast to his reckless compan-
ions of his ingenuity in eluding the parental eye.

6. When he begins to find that his fear of being found
out by his parents, is every day becoming less and less*

7. When he begins to suspect that all his contri-
vances to keep his conduct concealed from his parents,
have failed to screen him from discovery, and that they
are, probably, but too well acquainted with the character
of his associates, and the ruinous habits into which he
has unfortunately fallen.

8. When a passion for dissipation and bad company
has become paramount to all others ; so that he cares but
little wjio may come to a knowledge of his excesses, and
set him down as the habitual companion of "riotous
persons ; " but still retaining some sense of shame at the
thought of being seen in his true colors by those who
have watched over his infancy and youth with parental
tenderness and care.

9. When the scale has so far turned that he loses all
fear and shame at the idea of lacerating the feelings of
his nearest and dearest friends and relations by a knowl-
edge of his downward, dangerous, and ruinous career in
the path of dissipation and felony.

10. When card-playing for amusement is introduced

OF GAMBLING. 363

Thermometer of tbe different Stage* of a Gambling lift.

to him by his newly-formed acquaintances, and he con-
sents to take a hand merely to keep in their good graces,
or to learn to play to such a degree as to bear a respect-
able hand, when his companions may desire his partici-
pation in the sports of the card-table.

11. When he becomes so attached to this kind of
amusement, that he will leave his business at any time
of day, and go to the card-table with any kind of com-
pany, provided no person is present to inform his injured
parents, guardian, or employer.

12. When his attachment to the society and employ-
ment of the gamester, has so increased and strengthened,
that it becomes almost impossible for him to keep from
playing, and neglecting his duty and business for that
purpose, caring but little whom it may please or dis-
please.

13. When he becomes so far enlisted in this fascinat-
ing and destructive vice, that he so far forgets his duty
to God, and what is due to the feelings of society, as to
employ the Sabbath day in card-playing, instead of de-
cently and reverently attending the house of God on that
day, as he was formerly accustomed to do.

14. When he finds that his bad conduct, and particu-
larly his devotion to gaming, have caused his former
friends to disrelish his society, and that his character and
credit is rapidly losing ground among those who know
him generally, and most of all, among those who occupy
a respectable and honorable rank in the community,
causing him to be regarded as an object of distrust to
all, and of deep grief and mortification to his dearest
friends.

15. When he leaves his home, and goes among
strangers, persuading himself that all he needs to get

22

354 ARTS AND MISERIES

Thermometer of the different Stages of a Gamming Lire.

along at his ease, and enjoy happiness, is to be free
to indulge his propensity for gaming, unrestrained by
the presence and advice of his virtuous friends and ac-
quaintances.

16. When he finds himself thrown among strangers,
and, instead of that enjoyment which he expected from
their company, and the absence of his friends, finds that
they have no sympathy for him, and is forced to believe
that any appearance of friendship is mere hypocrisy, in
order the more easily to strip him of his money and turn
him loose on the pitiless charity of the world.

17. He now finds himself thrown into a class of play-
ers a grade beyond those who introduced him to this
evil ; and being refused by that class of players that he
has been in the habit of playing with, he becomes united
to those who will probably work all the week, and play
of nights and on Sabbath days for money.

18. When his propensity for card-playing is so strong-
ly developed, that he will risk a small stake in order to
get the opportunity of amusing himself, and is willing to
pay for it out of his week's labor, as there is no chance
for him to win at the first outset. Thus he labors
under great disadvantages, and all this to gratify the
passion for gambling that he has acquired, without ever
giving the first thought as to what are to be the con-
sequences.

19. When he finds that he is kept poor by this class
of Sabbath gamblers, and wakes up every Monday morn-
ing with his mind harrowed up with shame, remorse, and
regret for the money that he has lost on the previous day.

20. He now begins to think that he must have re-
course to some scheme to save himself; he sees that it
will require him to make some extra eflbrts to accomplish

OF GAMBLING. 255

of the different Stages of a Gambling lift.

his ends ; and thus he will begin to cultivate some other
kinds of dishonesty, at which his mind would have in-
stantly revolted before he became a votary of the gaming-
table.

21. When he first strives to cheat in some manner,
and finds that he succeeds so far as to enable him to
keep even at least. His success in this kind of dis-
honesty urges him on to cultivate his talents for this
unprincipled mode of speculation.
^ 22. When he finds himself braced up on Monday with
the reflection that he has preserved his last week's wages
by his ingenuity, and the flattering prospect of hereafter
retaining what he earns. And then he thinks of the
enjoyment he will realize from playing in time to come,
and finally concludes that he will endeavor so to extend
his cheating operations as to enable him to*get back
what he has lost before.

23. When he puts in practice the purpose thus
formed, and succeeds in winning small amounts, and
then finds (as he might have done before) that his oppo-
nents are secretly endeavoring to serve him in the same-
manner, by which his determination is increased " to win
money honestly if he can, but if be cannot, to win by
any means."

24. When he finds himself fully reimbursed for all his
former losses, with a balance in his hands, he is so elated
with his success, that he becomes more and more de-
lighted with this dishonest mode of life, and less and less
satisfied with making money by the comparatively slow
avails of honest and patient industry.

25. When his winnings are so great, at a single sitting,
that they amount to more than be could have made by a
whole week's work, causing him to make up his mind to

i

366 ARTS AND MISERIES

Tfcwwiutif of tte ilftwnt Stage* of a QftaMSng Life.

play at nights, (to the neglect of his work,) as well as on
the Sabbath, — his success, in the mean time, constantly
increasing, as he applies himself with more and more
assiduity to the study of deception.

26. When he finds that his efforts have been crowned
with such great and unexpected success, that he feels as
if he would prefer to discontinue his daily labor, and
depend upon winning enough from the working class of
gamblers to afford him a fair support, being strongly
tempted to decide upon this step, by the reflection that
he will have more leisure and opportunity to cultivate his
skill in the art of cheating.

27. When he finds that his frequent and successful
playing has made his associates afraid of him, and that,
in consequence, they hare commenced dropping off by
degrees, Deing convinced that he is too good a player for
them to play with ; that is, his late success has made his
associates poor, and they, from a continued course of ill
luck, have become shy of him, and will not play with
him any more.

28. When he finds that, for the third time, he has to
select new acquaintances, and that he will hare to make
the selection out of that low class of men that play ten-
pins for a living, and when they make a little money at
that, they play cards with such men as will condescend
to play with them, as it is too low a place for gamblers
of much note to be found at.

29. When he finds that his last-formed associates are
old, broken-down gamblers, that have become habitually
and sottishly dissipated, and cannot play cards to any
advantage, but still consider themselves as not below
going to the very first order of sportsmen, (as, indeed,
they might have been in their latter days,) but have

OF GAMBLING. 257

Thermometer of the different Stages of a Gambling Life.

become so besotted by intemperance and debauchery, as
to make them an easy prey to his plans of deception and
swindling.

30. When he finds that he makes but a meagre support
from the pittance that those broken-down gamblers are
able to get in their possession ; and the younger ones, that
play ten-pins, cards, and other low games for money ;
and finds, also, that the landlords of those despicable
houses, by the time they make a dollar, are ready to
seize upon it ; and thus he discovers there is no chance
for him to make money in this clan, and then seeks for
another class, as he will readily learn from those dissi-
pating rowdies about him, where he can find shelter next,
as they generally know what grade will suit his circum-
stances, and where they are to be met.

31. When he finds that the class into which he is
thrown, are those poor, profligate wretches that get their
living by playing thimbles, and race-track games, in-
cluding every kind of low, cunning tricks with cards and
thimbles, descending even to the picking of pockets, and
all kinds of rascality.

32. When he sees and understands the business of this
low and desperate class, and witnesses the perpetration
of their base and villanous deeds, and thinks that he is
fully acquainted with them, there are still some of the
secrets of their clan which they keep from him for
months, perhaps, after he has formed an alliance with
them, lest he should be too much shocked with their
crimes, and be induced to give them up in disgust and
terror.

33. When the youth reaches this number, he is upon
the brink of the most dangerous gulf. After he has
become associated with this class of villains, and has

22*

958 ARTS AND MISERIES

of the different Stages of a Gambling life.

seen them apparently prosperous, he becomes anxious to
do as well as any of them, let the means or consequences
be as they may, and makes every exertion to keep even
with them, flinging conscience, laws of God and man,
and every thing else, to the winds ; and here, then, is the
stage at which there is but a step between him and
hopeless infamy.

34. When he is made fully acquainted with all the
mysteries of the villains of this class, he has learned to
do every thing in the trick line; for having become
thoroughly attached to this reckless band, they take
pains to initiate him into a knowledge of all their de-
ceptive practices; and they will conduct it in such a
manner as to destroy any good feeling that may still
linger in his bosom, and by this means he becomes
completely prepared for entering upon the next dark
stage in his career of crime.

35. When the youth reaches this number, he is then
a regular graduate in every branch but one, and that is
the picking of pockets, or things of the like sort This
branch, however, will be introduced to him but seldom,
and with extreme caution ; for though many of his as-
sociates may be adepts in this sort of v ill any, they will be
exceedingly careful to keep it to themselves ; and here he
is every day liable to be arrested, with them, by the
strong arm of the law, and to find out, when it is too
late, that he has to take " pot luck " with those who
(unknown to him) have been guilty of crimes or mis-
demeanors that will send them to the gloomy walls of the
state's prison.

36. When he is fortunate enough to reach this number
unharmed, and has become fairly awake to the peril of
his position, has he sufficient courage to retrace his steps

OF GAMBLING. 2»

Thermometer of the diflerent Stages of a Gambling Lift.

—to break the connection forever? Alas! it is the
fewest number that have. On the contrary, when he is
brought to this number, his feelings have been so prepared
and accommodated to it, that he will probably take hold
as eagerly as those who have brought him to it. But if
he has sufficient self-respect left to resist the temptation,
and tear himself away from this band of desperadoes, he
is then cast upon the world to find out, as well as he can,
where he shall perch next.

37. When he finds that he is boun4 to leave this band
of villains, and finds no resting-place elsewhere, (not
being willing to return to the paths of virtue and honor,)
he falls into the hands of number third rate gamblers.
They are composed of men of different grades, from the
reprieved culprit to the young man that we have brought
up to this degree. Their principal games are roulette,
rolling faro, chucker-luck, fighting, and almost every
description of low-bred villany; for when men have
arrived at this stage, they are prepared to do almost any
thing for money.

38. He now finds himself identified with a class who
are so habituated to, and hardened in, villany of- almost
every sort, that their real character can no longer be
concealed by any kind of artifice, but is as strongly de-
picted in their very countenances, as was the curse of
the Almighty on the brow of Cain ; so that, by their very
aspect, with its invariable accompaniment, (the most
impious profanity,) the most superficial observer is in no
danger of mistaking them. So unmistakable is the
mark, that their real character is as readily known by it,
as if the inscription were literally branded on their fore-
head, — Beware ! look to your pogkbts ; I am a swii*.

DLTlfG GAMBLER.

800 ARTS AND MISERIES

^— — ■ ■ i ■ ■ ii y ■ . ■ i ■ ■ — — m- m

Thermometer of the different StȤM of a Gtuabtimf Lift*.

99. When be becomes convinced that this band of
villains (the same as number 4) are the very ones that
must inevitably ruin him, if he continues among them,
and under this conviction, he soars to number 2. This
class is composed of low, narrow-minded, self-conceited
fellows, who are generally men that are depraved enough
to do any thing, and would have become identified with
number 3 or 4, but were wanting in that desperate kind
of bravery that this class is bound to have to sustain them.
And this is the reason why tbey moved on to number 2, as
they had no chance to retrograde ; for the classes before
he arrived at number 4 would not have received him.
This class remains in this position until they are so cul-
tivated as to be prepared to be admitted into class num-
ber 1 ; where they remain so long as they can make a
living, and when they fail to do so, they sink to rise no
more.

40. This degree is not reached by one in five thousand
that start out in this course ; for there are so many in-
termediate stages for the youth either to be ruined or be
satisfied, that they scarcely ever have energy enough to
bear them up to reach this stage of rascality, as the labor
to arrive at this point is great, and the position that men
have to take to sustain themselves in this number is ex-
ceedingly difficult to be commanded. Their chief de-
pendence, however, is their money, and this they acquire
by their desperate and deceptive practices. When they
arrive at this stage, you will see men courting their favor
the same as if they were lords ; and ask those who thus
cringe to them, who these men are, and their answer will
be, that they are gentlemen faro dealers ; and they will
then state the different qualities of these men, and that
this particular one is the only bad one they have among

Or GAMBLING. 951

Thermometer of the different Stage* of a Gambling Life.

them ; when all the time they do not take into consider-
ation that the one who thus speaks is himself a villain
of the deepest dye, and a graduate in the school of dissi-
pation and swindling. Dissipation, let it he remembered,
almost invariably follows close on the heels of the gam-
bler, and does not forsake him either in prosperity or
adversity ; and when number 1 is in all his splendor, and
feels as if all the world were at his command, the first
thing he knows, he will be seized by the strong arm of
adversity, and dashed against the rocks of ruin — total,
irreparable ruin! Some, perhaps, will suppose that
what I have called number 1 gamblers will more fre-
quently become reformed than any others. This I will
admit; but then let us see who those reformed per-
sons are. Some may probably think that they are
the regular, thorough-bred gamblers — those who have
taken those forty degrees of depravity and moral deg-
radation that I have described. But let me inform
you, that whenever you see a reformation from the
class of number 1, 2, 3, or 4, you will see death star-
ing them in the face; and when they see that, they
are bound to yield up their villany, and grasp after that
which they have tried to keep down by their villanies-»-
that is, a peaceful, self-approving conscience. Those
of class number 1, who do reform coolly and deliberately,
are those unfortunate men of respectability, that have
been decoyed into this course of life by their deceptive
friends, and having in this way become votaries of this
dreadful vice, have lost their all. And when they be-
come thoroughly convinced that they have been duped by
these villains, they see no other way of escape but to
abandon their society forthwith and forever, and attach
themselves to some class of people that will sympathize

ARTS AND MISERIES

Cud MaaofecSone*.

with and sustain them. These are the persons of this
class, that voluntarily reform ; and as they have been
thrown into the class number 1 by the pretended love
of some of their enemies, they get the name of faro
dealers, gamblers, blacklegs, &c. This class has not
been satisfied with ruining these persons by the winning
of their money, but endeavor to brand them, forever,
with the detestable character which they themselves sus-
tain. I will here remark, that during my experience, in
this desperate business, of twelve years, these are the
different degrees through which I was carried, and was
witness to the same being the fate of all thorough-bred
gamblers. And I will also remark, that in that time I
never knew five that reformed, unless in such cases as
spoken of in the 40th stage.

CARD MANUFACTORIES.

There is, probably, no country in which this business
is carried on more extensively than in the United States ;
and we may safely say that there is no branch of busi-
ness to which human industry is applied, that is more
dishonorable in its nature, and more injurious in its
tendencies and consequences. The profits arising from
it are immense; and this is the great inducement for
many to engage in it, notwithstanding the odium that is
so frequently attached to it. But what must be the feel-
ings of a man who thus contributes to that vice — the
vice of card-playing — which (I am satisfied from my own
observation) is productive of more mischief to the coun-

OP GAMBLING. 268

Cud ManoActoriM.

try, than all the defaulters, forgers, and counterfeiters, by
whom h has been and still is disgraced. And it has
long appeared strange to me, that our public authorities
have not taken some steps to put down those extensive
manufactories of the implements of villany. If any one
thinks that the injury to society from this source is but
slight, I can only say, that if he should live to have the
experience in this line of business that the author of
this book has had, he would cease to entertain any such
indulgent opinion in regard to it. I know that it may
be readily objected, that if the manufactories were sup-
pressed in our own country, they could easily be imported
from Europe ; this, however, could be prevented by such
a duty as would amount, in its operation, to a prohibi-
tion. The men who carry on this infamous business,
receive as a reward, for thus administering to the ruin of
individuals, and of whole families, a profit, in most cases,
of more than one hundred per cent. ; while honest, useful,
and ennobling industry is (in very many cases) barely
rewarded with a sufficiency to afford those engaged in it
the means of subsistence. These things certainly ought
not so to be.

In oar American card manufactories, this business is
carried on to an intolerable extent. On the face of one of
the principal cards they engrave our American eagle — that
which we have perching upon our banners, as an emblem
of liberty, as if to say, and triumphantly too, " See here ;
we are sustained by the laws of our land, and are labor-
ing for the promotion of the welfare of our country."
The class of men that are engaged in this business in
New York have made their fortunes at it, and at this
time are making large sums of money by it. I am
personally acquainted with the most extensive house in

904 ARTS AND MISERIES

Casd Mannfartoriw.

that city; and for months at a time, I hare known one
journeyman to average thirty dollars per day, clear
money. I will now explain in what way this is done ; it
is by making that which is originally villanous, tenfold
more so: for example, we find that playing-cards have
different stamps upon their backs. Ask the manufac-
turer why this engraving is put upon them, and he will
tell you that the reason of his having the backs stamped,
is, that he may make them more valuable to the pur-
chaser. Now, this single operation ought to be sufficient
to expose his villany ; but we are too apt to put confi-
dence in what men, even of this class, will say. Does it
look reasonable to you that this man can print the back
of a card, and sell it for as much profit as though it was
plain 1 and if not, is it supposable that one whose busi-
ness is to cheat, and defraud, or to encourage such prac-
tices, would be so very generous as to incur all this addi-
tional expense and trouble for nothing ? Which is the
most trouble, to make a blank book or a printed one?
Some will tell you that they do this to prevent the backs
from being made dirty, so that the purchaser may get the
worth of his money, as the cards can then be used for a
longer time than they otherwise could. I ask again, is it
reasonable to suppose that he is actuated by any such
motive as this ? Certainly not No ; he is prompted by
some sinister, selfish, fraudulent motive, or else he would
make the cards plain ; for in that case they would be-
come useless much sooner, and consequently the greater
would be his sales and profits.

Well, then, here are his reasons for making the backs
of the cards as he does. He knows that what he tells
you on this subject is false ; but he feels it to be impor-
tant to make you think that all is fair and aboveboard.

J

Or GAMBLING. 265

dud MaitttftetoriM.

Now, the truth (as I know, and can vouch for) is, that
the backs of his cards are so printed, that by the differ-
ent positions in which he throws the figures, he may tell
them as readily by their backs, as he could by their
faces. And after the cards are made in this way, he
knows that he dare not play with them himself, because
the people would not continue to play with him, upon
finding that he always beats them. The consequence is,
he gets men and lets them know this secret mark of his ;
and those men are regularly employed to play for him ;
and perhaps he will have some hundred or more occupied
at the same time for him in this way, who engage to give
him a certain proportion of what they win. They will
probably not have more than a dozen players using the
same pattern; and I think I know as many as twenty
odd patterns of cards that this class of men are using —
cards which, to my certain knowledge, could be as easily
distinguished by the backs as by the faces. They make
it a point, therefore, in the manufactories, to keep these
kinds of cards as extensively circulated as possible, so
that they may be met with at every point where cards
are for sale, to accommodate those whom they have em-
ployed in the infamous mode of swindling just alluded to
Some may be disposed to say that they would like to
know what pattern they should watch for, in order to
avoid being imposed upon. In answer* I may say, that
every card that has a colored or printed back, either has
a secret mark upon it, or may, with the utmost facility,
have one placed upon it, by which it may be instantly
and certainly known. There are but seventeen different
positions or characters, by which every card may be
easily known by the back. Of that portion of the gam-
bling fraternity called number 1 , there are as many as

23

286 ARTS AND MISERIES

Cud Maaa&ctorie*.

three fourths that will not play with any cards bat the
white ones ; and if they will, I pledge you my word that
they know them by the backs. At first, when the
makers of those cards introduced this villany, they em-
ployed men to play for them. Bat these men soon
became treacherous, and they had to adopt different
measures, as many, through their agents, had learned
that there were cards of that kind manufactured by
them.

When any back, therefore, becomes notorious, they
will introduce a new one, and these new patterns will
continue in vogue until they, in their turn, are detected.
And when they find that they cannot sell any more of a
particular pattern, they then make fair ones of the same
pattern, and sell them for the same as they do other plain
cards, though they are not profitable ; but still they have
to make at least three fourths of them fair, so that, should
any one call for a foul card of that pattern, they can
always accommodate him. Although, when first intro-
duced, they will be all foul, the gamblers themselves will
take ink and mark them, thinking that they are fair
before they touch them ; when, at the same time, there
will be some five or six places from which to tell them
impressed upon them by the factory from which they em-
anated. To show the rascality of this class of men, when
the factory sold white backs, and the gamblers could not
send to the factory and get marked cards, they would
print ^he white backs, getting plates engraved expressly
for that purpose ; and the cards thus printed would re-
semble the others so perfectly, that the card-makers,
upon a comparison of them with their own, would not be
able to tell them apart.

In Cincinnati this was carried on to a great extent for

OF GAMBLING. 807

Cud Mano&eloriea.

tome years. They would purchase the white backs, and
then print them ; and it was truly astonishing to see how
soon, after a card would come out in the cities east of the
mountains, with their private marks on, you would see
the same pattern engraved and printed upon the white
card that had been manufactured at the same factory ;' so
that, often, by the time that the eastern factory players
would come on, the southern country would be filled with
this counterfeit card; so that the factory men, finding
these cards afloat, could not tell where they came from,
as they would have the face the same as those from the
eastern factories, (as the faces are all printed from the
same plate, both the white and the colored ;) and this is
still carried on in the same way.
* New Orleans, likewise, has the same kind of ar-
tificial manufactory. Their cards are lithographed ; and
they introduce many patterns besides those found on the
eastern cards, printing the backs only. Spanish cards
are also made in the same way, and for the sole purpose
of deceiving ; and let me assure my reader, that there
are no cards that are printed, which are not actually
marked, or may not be. And if those who use such
cards become suspected, and they cannot get you to play
with them, they will put them into the hands of some
youthful or inexperienced person, and having instructed
him in the use of the marks, will say to him, " Do you
go and play with such a man, for he think* that I can
beat him ; " and by this means, perhaps, he will seduce
into this business a youth that scarcely knew one card
from another ; for when they have had the instruction of
such a man for only a short time, they will so understand
the secret marks upon the cards, that they will have no
difficulty in beating the man whom the gambler may

9fl8 ARTS AND MISERIES

Cavi MnratetoriM.

have had his eye upon, hot who could not be
upon to play with him. The person who has thus been
used as a cat's-paw, sees in what an easy way this man
makes his money ; and all that he thinks it requisite for
him to do, is to purchase some of these patent cards.
This he does from the gambler, who charges him, prob-
ably, some five or ten dollars for a single pack ,- which
the purchaser thinks reasonable enough, as he is likely
to win, at the first trial, a sufficient amount to purchase
several such packs even at this enormous price. The
gambler now takes his leave, and the purchaser flatters
himself that his fortune is made. He plays with all his
acquaintances, and, as might be expected, he comes off
winner ; and thus he continues to win until he is noticed
by his associates as a very ingenious gamester, they not
knowing all the while that the source of his astonishing
success is not superior skill, but superior rascality in the
use of these fraudulent cards. Those who have been in
the habit of playing with him, despairing of ever being
able to beat him, cease to play with him, and shun his
company. He then turns out, and gives himself up to
this vile practice, and will engage in play with any body
that will consent to compete with him. And after
having fleeced his unsuspecting associates and others by
his vile arts, the man who sold him the cards will send
some of his own clan, and drop upon him, {comparatively
inexperienced as he is,) and win from him all his ill-got-
ten gains, with those very cards with which he has been
so shamefully cheating and defrauding his acquaintances.
Marked cards having become so general, the gamblers
were afraid to play with any except such as were plain
and white. And in that case what do the manufactories
of New York (or at least in one of them) do t They

OP GAMBLING. 269

Card MaauAotoriM.

manufacture the cards with the backs perfectly white,
and jet in such a manner as to make them quite as
deceptious as the others. Though they are entirely white,
the manufacturer can, at a moment's glance, tell you
what is on the face of the card; and this secret he
communicates to others, whom he employs to go out, '
and by means of these cards to swindle people out of
their money. This may seem quite incredible to some;
it is, nevertheless, done, and very successfully too ; and
I will now explain in what way. This is accomplished
by ^embossing the paper on the back ; and this embossing
forms a small, fine grain, which the eye would take to be
the grain of the paper ; this grain running different ways
to represent different cards. And there is only one
position in which this card must be held that it can be
told ; and that is, hold the end of the deck that is from
you the highest, and then the shade will cast the grain
in a way that you can plainly see the mark. One who is
accustomed to those cards, can, in a moment, exemplify
what I have here stated to the satisfaction of the most
inexperienced, by an actual exhibition of the cards them-
selves ; so that no matter how fair every thing may appear
in playing with a gambler, the one who is decoyed by
him may rest assured that he is the dupe of some secret
and most unprincipled species of villany.

The manufacturers of playing cards may sometimes be
encouraged by men who do not take these things into
consideration. Our merchants, for example, will go and
purchase the very article that, perhaps, their sons, their .
brothers, or themselves, are to fall by. And why do they
this? They scarcely take a thought upon the subject;
or if they do, it is about to this amount : they think their.,
neighbors sell them, and that they have as much right to.

23*

370 ART3 AND MISERIES

— i

• CM tUmmfbctorkm.

^ i— — ■^^— »^ ^— — — ^— ■

make money out of them as others — that if they do not
buy and sell them, others will. This is about as rational
as it would be for an apothecary to say, when a man goes
to him to boy a drug with which to poison himself, " I
might as well sell it to him as not, for if I do not, others
will." Would it not be better for ourselves, and for the
community at large, and more especially for the rising
generation, to do all that we lawfully can to put down
these base manufactories, not only by refusing to touch
the article ourselves, but by discouraging and dissuading
others from doing so ?

I will here place before the reader the different pat-
terns of the backs of what are called admmtage cards,
that I know to be false, and would enter into a minute
explanation of them ; but it is not my intention, as I have
repeatedly intimated, to give my readers very particular
instructions in regard to all the games and cheats that
are treated of in this work. Suffice it to say here, that
there are thousands besides myself that can assure them
that the cards here represented are grossly deceptive and
fraudulent.

The different figures or flowers that are introduced in
several plates in this book, are intended to show some of
the many different patterns that the author is familiar
with ; and there are many that he has not exposed to the
view of the reader. His reason for not doing so is this :
he believes that it would be useless, as what he exposes
here should be sufficient to satisfy any man that there are
no cards manufactured but what are either marked or
can be. Some of these are the oldest patterns in use,
and are marked in the factory — the star back, the one
with three dots and chain ; also, the one with a continual
vine ; but it is not necessary to dwell in painting them

Or GAMBLING.

2<4 ARTS AND MISERIES

Card Manolmeterfe*.

out, as it will be understood that there is no card but
what the gambler understands, as well by the back, as
the generality of the inexperienced do by the face. In the
last few years, 1 — Bay the last seven, — there have been
some twenty or thirty patterns introduced by the different
manufactories, and every one of them are cards called
advantage cards* such as you see with the fine stripe, in
imitation of calico, or gingham, and large clubs, or what
some may term marble backs : they are intended for the
gamblers to play by night, or to suit them to play by a
bad light; and old men who have weak eyes can play
with them when they cannot play the smaller patterns.

The professional men, who style themselves number
one, will frequently, when among strangers, refuse to
play with those late patterns. This, they will say, is to
prevent the other players from cheating them ; and to
avoid this, they propose playing with some of those
smaller patterns, and then they have the game in their

* The term advanlagc, as found in many places in this work,
signifies cards that are known by the back ; or cards that are
prepared in the factory, so that the gambler may know them.
The white back is now manufactured in the different card man-
ufactories throughout the United States, and may be detected by
the way the grain runs, and the different shades on the paper.
Indeed, a white card is the one that number one would play with
in preference to any other, as they are not so generally known by
players ; and they are such as the inexperienced scarcely ever'
doubt the fairness of. But I can assure all, that they are as un-
fair as any printed card, although not so generally understood by
the patent gentry ; and thus it gives them the ascendency over
their own clan.

1 have no doubt but that card manufacturers, upon perusing
this work, will try to introduce some new pattern ; but if they
should, it will certainly be sufficient to satisfy every man of sense,
that the manufacturers do it for their own advantage.

OP GAMBLING. 273

Lotteries.

power ; that is, if the party have not strong eyes, or happen
to be old men, or drunken men, who could not see a
mark on a card unless it was very large.

LOTTERIES.

This is as deceptive, and as base a business, as was
ever introduced into any country. The apparent re-
spectability of it, and of the men who carry it on, is
calculated to remove the scruples many might otherwise
have to patronizing it. The facility with which it can
be patronized, without the liability of exposure, and the
promises of sudden gain so artfully held out, are induce-
ments not easily resisted by a money-loving people, totally
ignorant of the odds against them in the game they play.

All other games generally require the personal atten-
tion of the players who patronize them ; but this is a
game at which any one- can play, and need never be
seen, even by those against whom he may be playing.
Thousands of persons, who stand high in the estimation
of their neighbors for good conduct; men who would
not, on any account, be found at a gambling-table, will
patronize lotteries. The ease with which it can be done,
without exposure, enables them to gratify, to the full ex-
tent of their means, their passion for this base species of
swindling. In many of our large cities, numerous well-
dressed young men are constantly engaged in vending
tickets through the streets, or from house to house, and
they can be bought as privately as the buyer may wish,
or lie may send his servant for them. Thus it is that a

874 ARTS AND MISERIES

Drawing of the Lottery.

man may gamble as extensively as* he pleases in lotteries,
without his proceedings being x at all likely to become
public

In my description of lotteries, I shall confine myself to
the lottery scheme before us ; because it will serve as an
example of all others, and because the reader will be
better able to comprehend explanations of this system
than if I were to write of some scheme not here inserted.

By a reference to the tables of tickets, it will be seen
that there are fifteen packages of whole tickets, as many
of halves, and thirty packages of quarter tickets. Each
package contains all the numbers, from one up to seventy-
eight, without a repetition of any one of them. The
tickets found in these tables are all that are intended for
any one drawing ; and every successive drawing is but
another edition of the same tickets, all arranged in the
same order, and with the same combination numbers ; but
they have a different class number on them. The pro-
prietors of a lottery furnish the printer with a copy of
these tables, arranged in a blank book, and this book is
called the scheme-book, from which as many as may be
ordered from time to time are printed.

The arranging of the class numbers is a matter of
fancy., as to what they shall be ; their only use being to
determine to what particular drawing any particular
ticket belongs, in order that a ticket which proves to be
a blank may not, at some future drawing, be handed in
for a premium, on account of containing some of the
numbers then drawn.

The Drawing. There are several methods of con-
ducting the drawing ; but that which is most commonly
used is as follows : —

There is a hollow wheel, as represented in the plate ;

OF GAMBLING. 275

Drawing of the Lottery.

then there are seventy-eight small tin tubes, scarcely
half an inch in diameter, and about three inches in
length ; these are for holding the numbers, from one to
•erenty-eight ; each number is on a separate piece of
paper, which is rolled up and put into a tube; these
tabes, when the numbers have been placed in them, are
all put into the wheel, and a person is selected to draw
out one at a time from the wheel, which is opened, and

Drawing of Lottery TUIuto.

cried aloud, for the information of those present who
may be interested. The number is registered, for the
future guidance of the lottery-dealer, in determining
what he shall pay those who may hold one or more of
the numbers so drawn. After this, the wheel is again
turned, so as to mix well the numbers contained in it,
and a second is drawn ; and the same proceedings are

97B ARTS AND MISERIES

Dnwiig of the Lottery.

gone over with, until twelve numbers are drawn, and
registered in the order in which they are drawn. Some-
times thirteen will be drawn, it being customary, on
many occasions, to draw one number for every six con-
tained in the wheel ; but I cannot give this as a universal
rule, because I have often found it deviated from. Some-
times little boys are selected to draw the numbers from
the wheel— -to give the impression that every possible
step has been taken to rentier the management as fair as
possible ; but in this there is also much deception.
Some of the tubes are made rough, and the boy, who
throws himself in the way to be asked to do the drawing,
has been instructed by the lottery proprietor, or some of
his agents, to feel for those rough tubes, which contain
the numbers that will take. the least amount of money
out of the concern. This piece of trickery is often re-
sorted to, in addition to all the other odds in favor of the
lottery proprietor. .True, it has been the case that
prizes have been drawn,* and trumpeted forth to the
world, as inducements for others to buy. Having known
how some of those prizes have sometimes been obtained,
will it be too much 'to suppose that others are obtained
in like manner t that is, by the proprietors of lotteries
being swindled, through the unfaithfulness of their
agents. A case came to my knowledge of a man who
drew a capital prize ; and the mode of operation, by
which it was effected, was as follows : An agent, who
was stationed in a town some distance from the principal
establishment, made two confidants, who, doubtless,
readily acted with him from hope of gain. One of these
was the post-master of the town, and the other an ac-
quaintance, a patron of the lottery. The duty of the
agent was to transmit to the principal office all unsold

OF GAMBLING. , 377

Drawing of the Lottery.

tickets, by the first mail that left after the known hoar
pi drawing. This mail also conveyed the lists of the
drawing ; bat, in a regular manner of proceeding, they
would not have been accessible to the agent before the
departure of the stage with his unsold tickets. By mak-
ing a confidant of the post-master, however, he received
the lists as quick as possible after the mail arrived, and
beforje it had been assorted. He .then examined his un-
sold tickets, and if any considerable prize remained, he
would take it from among the unsold tickets, and despatch
the remainder to the principal office, and give the prize to
his other confidant ; each one giving out that the ticket
had been sold to him ; and accordingly the prize would
be claimed and paid, although fraudulently obtained. In
this particular case, the capital prize was drawn, and it
appeared that the ticket-holder appropriated all the
money to his own use, as he was known to buy much
property shortly afterwards. It is believed also, by those
who Were acquainted with the incident, that he never di-
vided with the rascally agent ; and thus was the cheater
cheated, who, in his wrath, let out some of the secrets
of the manner in which the prize was obtained.

This same man has since met with reverses of fortune,
and would now, I believe, find it difficult tQiaise money
sufficient to purchase a ticket even of af toyj ilB ic e.

Among the many cases of lottery swiping, every
body has heard of the great Louisiana real estate lottery,
in wh^ch the prizes were to have been the St. Charles
Hotel, the Verandah, the St. Charles Theatre, the
Bank, the Arcade, and other magnificent buildings in
New Orleans. It is quite needless to say any thing of
this, as the public has been pretty well enlightened in
regard to it, through the public journals of the day.

24

278

ARTS AND MISERIES

Dmiriagof tfee Lottuy.

The following is a copy of a handbill issued by thft
proprietors of the lottery immediately after a drawing,
for the information of ticket-holders, and all others in-
terested : —

Drawing of the Lottery.

The following are the numbers which were this day drawn from
the eerenty -eight placed in the wheel, viz. : —

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 It

20 51 61 24 74 77 46 36 60 29 26 8

and that the said tickets were drawn in the order in which they
stand : that is to say, No. 20 was the first that was drawn ; No.
51 was the 3d; No. 61 was the 3d; No. 24 was the 4th ; No. 74 was
the 5th ; No. 77 was the 6th ; No. 46 was the 7th; No. 96 was the
8th ; No. 60 was the 9th ; No. 29 was the 10th ; No. 26 was the
11th; No. 3 was the 12th, and last.

Those tickets entitled to the 110 highest prizes were drawn in
the following order : —

1 2 3 . . . . $30,000 17 8 9
4 5 6 . . . . 10,000 1 10 11 12

Those 6 tickets having on them the

2 3 4|3 4 5|5 6 7|6 7 8|8 9 10|9 10 11 }>each ...1,500
Those 100 tickets having on them the

#5,000
. 2,367 20

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2

4

5

6
7

2 8
2 9
2 10
2 11

2 12

3 4

3

3

3

3

3

1 3 10
1 3 11
1 3 12
1 4 5
1 4 6

1 4 7

1

7 9

2 3 11

2 6 10^1

1 4 8

1

7 10

2 3 12

2 6 11

1 4 9

1

7 11

2 4 5

2 6 12

1 4 10

1

7 12

2 4 6

2 7 8

1 4 11

1

8 9.

2 4 7

2 7 9

1 4 12

1

8 10

2 4 8

2 7 10

1 5 6

1

8 11

2 4 9

2 7 11

1 5 7

1

8 12

2 4 10

2 7 12

15 8

1

9 10

2 4 11

2 8 9

15 9

1

9 11

2 4 12

2 8 10

1 5 10

1

9 12

2 5 6

2 8 11

1 5 11

1

10 11

2 5 7

2 8 12

1 5 12

1

10 12

2 5 8

2 9 10

1 6 7

1

11 12

2 5 9

2 9 11

1 6 8

2

3 5

2 5 10

2 9 12

1 6 9

2

3 6

2 5 11

2 10 11

1 6 10

2

3 7

2 5 12

2 10 12

1 6 11

2

3 8

2 6 7

2 11 12

1 6 12

2

3 9

2 6 8

3 4 6

1 7 8

2

3 10

2 6 9

3 4 7J

"each... .1,000

OP GAMBLING. 279

Drawing of the Lottery.

All others with three of the drawn number* on, (being 110)

eaoh ' 300

Those 66 tickets having on them the 1st and 2d drawn

numbers, each. 100

Those 66 tickets having on them the 2d and 3d, each ... 80
Those 66 tickets having on them the 3d and 4th, each ... 60
Those 66 tickets having on them the 4th and 5th, each . . . 40
Those 132 tickets having on them the 5th and 6th, or 6th and

7th, each 30

AH others with two of the drawn numbers on, (being 3960,)

each SO

And all tickets having one, only, of the drawn numbers on,

each, (being 25,740,) 10

Now, let us spend a few moments in examining this
bill, and we shall see how much truth there is in it It
says, that the ticket having on it the three first drawn
numbers will be entitled to the capital prize of $30,000.
Now, in the whole scheme before us, there is no such
ticket The combination, 20, 51, 61, is not to be found
in this arrangement Consequently, there was no ticket
whose numbers entitled it to this prize. Next, the bill
says, the ticket having the fourth, fifth, and sixth drawn
numbers, which would have been 24, 74, 77, would be
entitled to a prize of $10,000. There is no such ticket
in the combination. Consequently this also is false.
Now, it is evident that the dealers, in publishing this bill,
mean to impress the public with the idea, that tickets,
containing the necessary numbers to draw these prizes,
are in the lottery, and that somebody must, of course,
draw them ; but it is all false, and a very little investiga-
tion will convince any one, that a greater system of de-
ception can hardly exist. Bear in mind, that the bill says
these prizes were drawn. The third prize was $5,000,
and the ticket which contained the seventh, eighth, and
ninth numbers was to draw this prize. These numbers

280 ARTS AND MISERIES

Drawing of the Lutteiy.

are 36, 46, 09. There is no each combination in/ the
scheme-book — no such ticket was printed or sold
Consequently, here is another falsehood. The same can
be said of the fourth prize— the tenth, eleventh, and
twelfth numbers — being 3, 26, 29. There is no such
combination in the book, and no such prize could be
drawn. Of the next six prizes, of $1,500 each, said to
have been drawn, there was not a single ticket in the
whole scheme winch contained the necessary numbers to
draw any one of these six prizes 1

It is next asserted, that there were in the lottery one
hundred tickets, having three drawn numbers, and en-
titled each to a prize of $1,000. This I have examined,
and I find that, instead of being one hundred, there are
but two — the first in magnitude being one from pack-
age number six, of half tickets, bearing the numbers 20,
36, 51, — these being the first, second, and eighth of the
drawn numbers, and would entitle the holder to one half
of the $1,000, subject to a deduction of fifteen per cent
The other is a quarter ticket, bearing the numbers 46,
51, 74 — from the twenty-seventh package, of quarters
— being the second, fifth, and seventh of the drawn
numbers, and would entitle the holder of it to one
quarter of the $1,000, after deducting the fifteen per
cent But it is well known that, frequently, scarce one
half of the tickets of any one class, intended for a par*
ticular drawing, are ever disposed of, and are consequently
returned to the manager's office, to be destroyed. Then,
what guaranty have we that the numbers entitled to the
above pitiful prizes were sold? They are as likely to be
among the tickets returned unsold, as among those sold.
Next, the bill states that there were one hundred and ten
others, each having three drawn numbers, and were en-

OP GAMBLING. 381

Drawing of the Lottery.

titled to a prize of $300 each. By a close investigation,
I find bnt one single ticket of this kind in the whole

> scheme. This is the ticket in the twelfth package of
quarters, bearing the numbers 61, 69, 77 ; and if it had
been sold, it would have entitled the holder to one fourth
of the $300, deducting 15 per cent. Next, the bill
says, those sixty-six tickets having the first and second
drawn numbers., will each be entitled to a prize of $100.
In searching for these in the scheme-book, I find but
one that bears the first and second numbers ; that is, in
package fourteen. The ticket having the numbers 20,
61, 66, is the only one having the two first numbers; and

, if sold, the holder was entitled to one half of the $100,
it being a half ticket. Now, the reader may perceive
that I have examined and laid open, so that he too may
examine, this masterpiece of villany. I find that of the
two hundred and eighty-six highest prizes, which, their
own handbill states, existed in their lottery, and which,
by ^ their own figures, amounted to the enormous sum
of $195,967, and, in order to be drawn, only required
that the tickets should be bought, — I find, allowing every
ticket to have been sold, and afterwards every holder
presented his ticket for the sum to which it might be en-
titled, that of the two hundred and eighty-six said to be
in the scheme, there are but five, and these very incon-
siderable ; and that the greatest amount of these five
prizes, without deducting the fifteen per cent, is only
$875, instead of the enormous sum of $195,967. Can
it be possible that any person will be found to patronize
lotteries, after considering these facts ?

I pass over those small prizes named after the first
sixty-six having the first and second drawn numbers on

24»

S88 Arts and miseries

• Dtmwiag of the Lottery.

them, and will prove the balance to be falsehoods, as
the greater portion of the first part of the bill is.

In the first place, let us see how many prizes are rep-
resented to exist, not to say any thing of the blanks. Id
counting up the prizes named on this bill, we find them
to be 30,316; and I do not think they would pretend
to say that more than one half of their tickets were
prizes. Then we will say that they had an equal num-
ber of blanks. This would carry their scheme up to
over sixty thousand tickets ; and even if they were all
prizes, and no blanks, (which they do not pretend,) who
cannot see the extreme improbability of their disposing
of 30,316 tickets in one week 1 for it must be remem-
bered that these were all of one class, and for one par-
ticular week's drawing. But the last witness, whose
overwhelming testimony will settle the question, is their
own scheme-book, of which an accurate copy is here
given, and which shows the number of tickets, for any
one drawing, to be but 1,560, the half of which, by
great exertion, they might succeed in selling j each suc-
cessive drawing being another edition of these same
combinations, with a different class number on them.
Now, let me ask, where are their 30,316 prizes to come
from f What a scheme of deception do we here behold !
and one, too, that has been so long submitted to and
patronized by the public of this and other countries.

Another method of still further swindling the buyers of
tickets, is much practised in some parts of the country.
The agents who sell the tickets are authorized to insure
them. When a man buys one, the price, perhaps, might be
ten dollars. The seller, if he has been authorized, will say,
" Now, sir, for ten dollars, I will insure your ticket to draw

OF GAMBLING. 383

Drawing of the Lottery.

a prize." This is enough for the buyer to have his
ticket insured to draw a prize, and possibly the capital
prize : he pays an additional fee, and the agent forwards
the numbers of all the tickets, so insured, to the office
where the drawing is to be held ; and there they man-
age to have these tickets contain one (seldom more) of 1
the drawn numbers. This entitles the buyer to receive
back the price of his ticket, after taking out 15 per cent. ;
and as it was not a total blank, the insurer is safe, and
retains the sum paid for insurance. The buyer remains
swindled out of the insurance, and 15 per certt of the
cost. These swindling shops are numerous, and are
sometimes called policy offices.

We sincerely hope that our readers will examine with
some attention the developments we have made in rela-
tion to the deceptive schemes of the lottery managers ;
for r we feel that they cannot fail to convince every man
of common sense, who has a particle of moral principle
and moral honesty left, that he who encourages this
basest of all swindling, by purchasing tickets, is not
alone an enemy to himself and family, but he counte-
nances a species of gambling that is extensively mis-
chievous and ruinous, and has for its victims many of
our best citizens, young and old ; while, at the same
time, he unintentionally throws a veil over the villanous
deeds of the lotteTy gambler and his unprincipled, as well
as his* inexperienced supporters. We once more invite
our readers to examine our statements with attention.

T^he following tables represent, completely, the entire
contents of a lottery dealer's scheme-book, made for the
guidance of the printer, in printing tickets. At the
close of the tables is represented a ticket, with its class
and combination numbers.

284

ARTS AND MISERIES

Combinations taken from the Bell e — - B ook of a Lottery-Dealer

>^_^*«_

127
228
329
430
5 31
632
733
834
935

10 36

11 37

12 38

13 39

14 40

15 41

16 42

17 43
13 44
19 45
120 46
2147

22 48

23 49

24 50

25 51

26 52

53
54
55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66114

67

68

69

70

71

74
75
7624

77
78

128
229
330
4 31
532
633
734
835
936
10 37
1138

12 39

13 40
41

15 42

16 43

17 44

18 45

19 46
47
48

22 49

23 50
51

25 52

26 27

55
56
57

58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73

7220 47 7420
7321 48 7521

77
78

5325
54

129
230
3 31
432
5 33
634
735
836
9 37
10 38
1139

12 40

13 41

14 42

15 43

16 44

17 45

18 46

19 47
48
49
50

23 51

24 52
27

26 28

54
55
56
57

58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72

7622 50 7522 51 77

52 78

76

77

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

30 56

31 57

32 58

33 59

34 60

35 61

36 62

37 63

38 64

39 65

40 66

42 68

43 69

44 70

45 71

46 72

47 73

48 74

7320
7421

23

24 27 5324 29

131
232
333
434
535
636
737
838
939
10 40
1141

57

58
59
60
61
62
63
64
651

6610
6711

41 67112 42 68112
6913

13 43

14 44

15 45

16 46

17 47

18 48

19 49

71
72
73
74
75

49 7520 50

50 762151

7620
7721
7822
5323
5424
25 28 5525

22 52

23 30

7825 28 54

5326 29 5526 27 5626

6

1

2
3

4
5
6

7
8
9

7014

15
16
17

18
19

The above lottery schemes were accurately copied
from the scheme-book of a lottery dealer in Vicksburg,
Mississippi, and may be considered a fair specimen of
lottery combinations generally. The tables are for a
78 numbered lottery, every three perpendicular lines of
figures containing a package, and each package all the
numbers, from 1 to 78, inclusive; and there are also
26 tickets in each package.

OF GAMBLING.

285

Cumliinatioiis taken from the Scheme-Book of a Lottery-Dealer.

9

lO

96

97

8

9

1 60 78

2 61 77

3 62 76

4 63 75

5 64 74

6 65 73

7 66 72

8 67 71
68 70

10 53 69
1127 52

12 28 51

13 29 50

14 30 49

15 3148
5816 32 47

17 33 46

18 34 45

19 35 44
7020 36 43
692137 59
6822 38 58
6723 39 57
6624 40 56
6525 4155
6426 42 54

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

6164

62 65

63 66

29 78
28 77
27 76

30 50
3151

32 52

33 53

34 54

35 55

36 56

37 57

38 58

39 59

40 60

41 67

42 68

45 71

10

135

2 37

3 39

4 41

5 43
645

7 47

8 49

9 51
10 53
1155

12 57

13 59

14 61

15 63

16 65

17 67

18 69

19 71

43 6920 73

44 7021 75

36
38
40
42
44
46
48
50
52
54
56
58
60
62
64
66
68
70
72
74

ll

7621

22 77 7823

46 7223 27

47 7324 29

48
49

74
75

25 31

26 33

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

38 39
40 49
4150

42 51

43 52

44 53

45 54

46 55

47 56

48 57

58 67

59 68

60 69

61 70

62 71

63 72

64 73

65 74

66 75

19

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

27 7620
21

28 77

29 7822
2823 30 3423
3024 31 3524
3225 32 3625
34 26 33 37 26

41 43

42 45
44 47
46 49
48 51
50 53
52 55
54 57
56 59
58 61
60 63
62 65
64 67
66 69
68 71
70 73
72 75
74 77
76 78
35 40
34 39
33 38
32 37
3136

27 29

28 30

At the beginning of the first package you will see the
numbers 1, 27, 53 ; they are placed on one ticket; and so
with each succeeding three numbers through the whole
scheme.

There are, in these schemes, 15 packages of whole
tickets, each containing 26, which make an aggregate
of 390, and the same number of halves, which, if add-
ed to the former, will make 780 ; also, 30 ^<&a%*& <&

ARTS AND MISERIES

98

99

lOO

101 | I OS

13

>*

is

oo

1 1 a

1 45 44

1 62 70

127 78

1 253 1 261]

2 46 47

2 63 71

2 28 77

3 454

3 6 61,

3 48 49

3 64 72

3 2!) 76

5 29 55

4 762

4 50 51

4 65 73

4 30 75

1*

6 30 56

5 52 6*

5 52 53

5 66 74

5 31 74

u

7 31 57

8 51 64

654 55

6 52 75

6 32 73

£

832 58

9 50 65
10 49 66

7 56 57

7 53 76

7 33 72

^

9 33 5E

8 58 59

8 54 77

8 34 71

j§

10 34 60

11 48 67

9 60 61

9 55 78

9 35 70

^

1135 61

12 47 68

1 II 02 63

10 56 67

10 36 69

V

12 30 ('.'.

13 46 69

11 64 65

11 57 68

11 37 68

13 37 63

14 45 70

19 66 67

12 58 o;

12 38 67

1

3

14 38 64

15 44 71

13 68 69

13 59 61

13 39 66

15 39 65

16 43 72

14 70 71

14 51 60

14 40 65

16 40 66

17 42 73

15 72 73

1 .5 27 39

15 41 64

ft,

17 41 67

18 41 74

16 74 75

10 28 4(1

16 42 63

is 42 Gs

19 40 75

17 76 77

17 29 41

17 43 62

s

19 43 69

20 39 76

18 43 78

IS 30 42

18 44 61

1

20 44 70

21 38 77

Hi 27 12

19 31 43

19 45 60

2! 45 71

22 37 78

20 28 41

-10 32 i 1

id 40 .5;

"3

22 46 72

33 30 53

•21 -J!) HI

21 33 45

21 47 .58

s

33 47 73

24 35 54

22 30 Hi)

22 34 4 (

2:! 48 57

1

24 48 74

25 34 55

23 31 3--

23 35 47

23 19 .51

25 49 75

26 33 56

24 32 37

24 36 48

21 50 5.5

26 50 70

27 32 .57

•:.-, :t3 :ti

9S 37 49

25 51 54

27 51 77

28 31 58

29 3D 50

2f: 3 1 !.»

2(i 38 -50

20 .52 53

28 .-,■! 7s

quarters, making, in all, 1569. These comprise the whole
of the combinations here given, and are intended for one
particular drawing, constituting one class. For each suc-
cessive drawing, another edition of the same combinations
are offered for sale, only with different class numbers.

The venders of lottery tickets possess an immense ad-
vantage over the buyer, which is mostly in the extreme
improb ability of a prize of »tvj fconsiAwAile amount

OF GAMBLING.

287

CombhutkmB taken ftom the Scheme-Book of a Lottery-Dealer.

14)3 14)4 1©« 106 lOT 108

8

1

2
5
7

3
4
6

8

9 31
10 92
1133

12 34

13 35

14 36
16 37

16 38

17 39

18 40

19 41

20 42
2143

22 44

23 45

24 46

25 47

26 48

27 49

28 50

29 51

30 52

61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
71
70

1 3

2 41
442
543
644
745
8 40
939

10 38

1137

12 36

35

34

15 33

16 32

17 31

18 30

19 29
53,20 28
542152
5522 51
5623 50
5724 49
5825 48
5926 47
6027 46

7213

7314

74

75

76

77

78

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

7310

7411

7512

7613

1
2
3
5
6
7
8
9

77
78
53
54
55

60
61
62
63
64

14
15
16
17

18

5619
5720
5821
5922

23
24
25
26

27

466

42 67

43 68

44 69

45 70

46 71

47 72

48 73

49 74

50 75
51

52 77
4178
40 65
28 64
29

30 62
3161
32
33
34
35
36

37 5526

38 5427

39 5328

e

1
2
3
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
76113
14
15
16
17
63118
19
20
6021
5922
5823
5724
5625

4 67
568

45 69

46 70

47 71

48 72

49 73

50 74
5175
52 76

29 77

30 78
3166

32 65

33 64

34 6319

35 6220

36 6121

37 6022

38 5923

39 5824

40 5725
415626

42 5527

43 5428

44 5329

1

2

3

4

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

568
669
7 70

45 71

46 72

47 73

48 74

49 75

50 76
5177
52 78
30 67
3166

32 65

33 64
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44 53

8

1

2

3

4

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

6320

6221

6122

6023

5924

5825

5726

5627

5528

5429

30

5 61)

6 70|

7 71
872

48 75

49 76

50 73
5174
52 78
3177

32 68

33 67

34 66

35 65

36 64

37 631

38 62

39 61

40 601
4159

42 58

43 57

44 56

45 551

46 54

47 53

being drawn. The numbers 1 to 78 are capable of
making 76076 combinations on what I may term the
increasing ratio — that is, the second larger than the
first, and the third larger than the second, in arithmetical
progression ; as, 5, 10, 15, &c.

In the following combinations there are but 1560,
where there might be 76076 ; and if this latter number
were printed and sold, some one must hold the thro*.

388

ARTS AND MISERIES

Combinations Cakm freti Um SebeMe-Book of • Lotter y Deale r .

109 HO 196 197 196 19*

1 6

2 7

3 8

4 9
fi> 10

1132

12 33

13 34

14 35

15 36

16 37

17 38

18 39

19 40
120 41

21 42

22 43

23 44

24 45

25 46

26 47

27 48

28 49

29 50

30 51

31 52

70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
69
68
67

65
64

61

58
57

ie

1

2

3

4

5

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

6618

19
20

63
6023

24

26
27

5628

5529
5430
5331

6 71
772

8 73

9 74
10 75

33 76

34 77

35 78

36 70

37 69

38 68

39 67

40 66
41
42
43
44

45 61

46 60
47
48
49
50

5155
52 54
32 53

38 57

39 58
65120 40 59

4160

622143 6322 42 61

'22 44 6223 43 62

li

I

2

3

4

5

6

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

772
873
9 74

10 75

11 76

12 77

33 78

34 53

35 54

36 55

i»

1
2
3
4
5

7

8

9

10

11

6 12

13 52

14 51

15 50

16 49

37 56 17 48

18 47

19 46

20 45
2144

22 43

23 42

73
74
75
76
77
78
72
71
70
69
68
67

24 44 6324 41 63

25 45 64 25 40 60

5925 47 59126 46 65|26 39 5927

5828

5827 47 66
5628 48 67
57129 49 68

50 69

51 70

30
31
32

40 59

27 38 58128 39 58

28 37 5729 38 57

29 36 56 30 37 56

30 35 5531 36 55

31 34 5432 35 53
52 7132 33 5333 34 54

13

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

15

16

17

18

19

8 74

9 75

10 76

11 77

12 78

13 73

14 72

45 70

46 71

47 69 17

48 6818

49 67 19

50 6620
516521
52 64 22

6123 44 6323
6224 43 62124
42 61

6620
6521
6422

25 42 61 25

26 416026

i«

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
15
16

27
28
29
30
31
32
33

8 75

9 76
10 77
1178

12 74

13 72

14 73

46 71

47 70

48 69

49 68

50 67

51 66

52 65
45 64
44 61
43 60
42 63
41 62
40 58
39 59
38 56
37 57
36 54
35 55
34 53

first drawn numbers, every ticket-holder having one
chance out of 76076 of drawing the capital prize. But,
in this combination, if a man were to purchase the whole
of the tickets, being 1560, there would still be 49 chances
against his holding the three first numbers, to one for it.
As there are no two tickets holding the same three
numbers, of course but one can hold the three first,
which i« the prize.

OF GAMBLING. i

in from the Behanu-Baot at ■ l^Uof-Tlmla.

300

901

•04

SOS | 904

is

oa

i

»

3

*

i 9 n

1 9 77

1 10 77

1 10 78

1 11 21

2 10 77

2 10 7*

2 11 78

2 11 77

2 12 22

3 11 78

3 1 1 76

3 12 53

3 IS 76

3 13 23

4 12 75

a

4 12 74

4 13 54

4 13 75

4 14 24

5 13 74

■3

5 13 75

5 14 65

5 14 74

5 15 25

(i 14 73

£

ill

6 14 72

6 15 56

6 15 72

6 16 26

7 15 72

t»

u

7 15 73

7 16 57

7 16 71

7 17 27

8 16 71

a

8 16 70

81758

8 17 70

BIS*

17 52 70

k|

Of

(7 51 71

9 18 59

9 18 69

9 19 H

18 51 OH

v

g

18 50 69

19 52 60

19 36 6*

10 20 30

iy so 68

*

10 49 48

20 40 72

20 37 67

31 41 51

20 40 67

£j

1

20 48 67

21 50 62

21 38 6b

32 42 52

21 48 66

■*

21 17 06

22 40 Ii3

2:2 39 li."

33 43 53

■■1-1 -17 65

K

g

22 16 65

23 4* 64

23 40 64

34 44 51

23 46 61

-ft,

ft,

23 45 64

24 47 65

24 41 62

nr, 45 55

»i i.-, m

■

M 44 61

•25 46 lit.

25 45 03

36 46 56

25 44 62

1

.5

25 13 62

20 -15 67

26 43 HI

37 47 57

26 43 61

I

26 42 63

37 44 68

27 44 61

38 .18 58,

27 42 60

A

27 41 60

28 43 6938 42 59

30 49 50:

28 41 59

■8

*

2S 40 5!

29 42 7029 46 58

10 51)6'!

29 40 58

£

20 30 r,-

30 41 71

30 47 57

01 67 73

30 30 57

g

30 38 57

31 51 61

31 48 5(

62 68 74

j31 38 56

-S

31 37 51

32 39 7;

32 49 55

63 69 75

32 37 55

32 36 55

33 3s 74

33 50 54

64 70 76

33 36 5-1

33 35 53 34 37 75

34 51 53

65 71 77

34 35 53

34 52 54|35 36 76

35 52 73

66 72 78

By »i littfe investigation, an; one may discover that fail
chance for drawing a prize, even of a trilling amount, is
extremely small. By the following i method any one may
ascertain the number of combinations which any given
number will produce, as in the present ease, 78 X 77
X 76 = 456466 -r- 6 = 76076, the number of combina-
tions of three numbers each ; the 78 multiplied by 77,
and the product by 76, and that product, dis\4*A , wi«»,
85

890

ARTS AND MISERIES

OamMaatioaa taken from the Scheme-Book of a Lottery-Dealer.

rr ^=fl

9ftS «•• I 967 I ^08 I 309 I •!•

\

I
2
3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

67

68

69

70

12 23

13 24

14 25

15 26

16 27

17 28

18 29

19 30

20 31
2132
22 33

45 56

46 57

47 58
48

49 60

50 61

51 62

52 63

53 64

54 65

55 66

71 76

72 75

73 78

74 77

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

37

38

40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
73
74

13 25

14 26

15 27

16 28

17 29

18 30

19 31

20 32
2133

22 34

23 35

24 36
49 61
50
51
52 64
53
54
55
56
57
58

59 72

60 71

75 77

76 78

5939 51 6341

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

.8

9

10

11

12

13

6240

42

49
50
51
52

14 27

15 28

16 29

17 30

18 31

19 32

20 34
2133

22 35

23 36

24 37

25 38

26 39

53 66

54 67

55 68
56
57

58 71

59 72
60
61

62 75

63 7652

64 7753

65 7854

6543 56^945
6644 57 79146
6745
6846

7048 61 7450

8

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

43

44

47

48

51

15 29

16 30

17 31

18 32

19 33

20 34

21 35

22 36

23 37

24 38

25 39

26 40

27 41

28 42

55 67

56 68

57 69

58 70

59 71
60
61

62 74

63 75

64 76

65 77

66 78

6947 60 7349 61 7351 62 7353

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

46

47

48

49

52
53
54
55

56

16 31

17 32

18 33

19 34

20 35
2136

22 37

23 38

24 39
25

26 41

27 42
28

29 44

30 45

57 68

58 6949

59 70150
60
61
62

63 74154
64

65 76156

66 77

67 7858

7250 617252

10

1
2
3

4

5

6

7

8

9

40110

11

12

43113

14

15

16

7151

17 33

18 34

19 351

20 361
2137

22 38

23 39

24 40

25 41

26 421

27 43

28 44
99 45
30 46
3147
32 48

59 69

60 70

61 71

62 72!

63 7

64 74

65 75

66 76

67 77

68 78

gives the number of combinations of three numbers each,
which the numbers from 1 to 78 will produce, no two
combinations containing the same three numbers.

Lottery-dealers are aware of the great odds against the
buyers, and are very cautious in keeping all the secrets
of a fraud to themselves, by which they are robbing the
public continually. But it shall not be the fault of the
writer of these pages if their swindling maohinatkms are

OF GAMBLING.

291

Goanhtnatieni taken from the Scheme-Book of a Lottery-Dealer.

996 397 998 999 S09 SOI

li

1 18

2 19

3 20

4 21
522
6 23
724
825
926

10 27
1128

12 29

13 30

14 31'

15 32

16 33

17 34

52 61

53 62

54 63

55 64

56 65

57 66

58 67

59 68

60 69

35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51

71

77
78

ia

1

3

2

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

7018

55

7256
7357
7458
7559
7660

61
62

19 37

20 38
2139

22 40

23 41

24 42

25 43

26 44

27 45

28 46

29 47

30 48
3149

32 50

33 51

34 52

35 53

36 54

63 71

64 72
65

66 74

67 75

68 76

69 77

70 78

13

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

58

60
61
62
63
64

20 39

21 40

22 41

23 42

24 43

25 44

26 45

27 46

28 47

29 48

30 49
3150

32 51

33 52

34 53

35 54

36 55

37 56
38
65
66
67 74
68
69

70 77

71 78

7359 66 7361

14

5719
7220

7563
7664

121
2 22
323
424
525

6 26

7 27
828
929

10 30
1131

12 32

13 33

14 34

15 35

16 36

17 37

18 38
39
40
67

62 68
69
70

65 71

66 72

41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
§0
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59

75

78

77

15

1

2
3
4
5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

6020
7421
7364
7665

66
67
68

22 43

23 44

24 45

25 46

26 47

27 48

28 49

29 50

30 51
3152

32 53

33 54

34 55

35 56

36 57

37 58

38 59

39 60

40 61
4162
42

69 74

70 75

71 76

72 77

73 78

16

1

2
3
4

D

6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
6321
22
67
68
69
70

23 45

24 46

25 47

26 48

27 49

28 50

29 51

30 52
3153

32 54

33 55

34 56

35 57

36 58

37 59

38 60

39 61

40 62
4163

42 64

43 66

44 65

71 75

72 76

73 77

74 78

longer concealed from the community. Thousands upon
thousands of dollars are expended annually in lottery
tickets in this country ; and how very seldom is it that you
hear of a capital prize having been drawn ! If there should
chance to be a prize of any magnitude awarded to a
ticket-holder, it is trumpeted from one end of the Union
to the other, by those most interested in lottery specu-
lations, stimulating others to try their luck, and by that

ARTS AND MISERIES

SO* *•• »04 305 3M SOT

_ i

ir

124
225

326

427

528

629

730

8 31

932

10 33

1134

12,35

13 36

14 37

15 38

16 39

17 40

18 41

19 42

20 43

21 44

22 45

23 46
70 73
7174
72 75

47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55

57

58

60!
61
62
63
64

18

1

2
3
4
5

6

7
8
9

5610

11
12

5913

25 49

26 50

27 51

28 52

29 53

30 54
3155

32 56

33 57

34 58

35 59

36 60

37 61

38 62

14

15 39 63)15 40

16

17

18

6519
6620
67J2I
6822
6923
7624

40 64

41 65

42 66

43 67

19

1 26

2 27
328
429
530

6 31

7 32
833
934

10 35
1136

12 37

13 38

14 39

51

52

531

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

*0

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

6223
6335
6436

16 41

17 42

18 43

19 44

44 68»20 45

45 6921 46

66
65
67
68
69
71

46 7022 47

47 71 23 48

48 72 l 24 49
7773 76 7725 50

78174 75 7876 77

37
38
39
40
41
42

7043
7244
7345

74

7547

78)48

12 24

13 25

14 26

15 27

16 28

17 29

18 30

19 31

20 321
21

22 34
49 66
50
51

52 67
53
54

55 70

56 71
57
58

59 74

60 75
61
62 77
63

46 617648

»i

1
2
3

4

5

6

7

8

9

33110

11

12

65137

64138

39

69140

68|41

42

43

72144

7345

46

47

1
2
3

4
5

6

7
8
9

12
13

49

7850

13 27

14 28

15 29

16 30

17 31

18 32

19 33

20 34
2135

22 3610

23 2611

24 25
5165

52 6640

53 6741

54 6842

55 6943

56 7044

57 7145

58 7246

59 7347

60 7448

61 7549

62 7650

63 7751

64 7852

I

14 391

15 38

16 37

17 36

18 35

19 34

20 33
2132

22 31

23 30

24 29

25 28

26 27

53 78

54 77

55 76

56 75

57 74

58 7S

59 71

60 721
6170
02 69

63 66

64 67

65 66

means making their very losses minister to their gam;
for, in all likelihood, months and years may elapse before
another large prize will be drawn from the same lottery.
It will be seen by the lottery combinations we present,
how infinitely disproportionate are the chances in this
species of gambling — how vastly the odds bear against
'the purchaser of tickets, and what mischievous results
must of necessity spring from a Tile system of firaads,

OF GAMBLING.

293

Combinations taken from the Scheme-Book of a Lottery-Dealer.

308 309 ! 310 396 397 398

»3

1 18

2 19

3 20

4 21

5 22
623
724
825
926

10 27
1128

12 29

13 30

14 31

15 32

16 33

17 34
135 44

36 45

37 46

38 47

39 48

40 49

41 50

42 51
|43 52

53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72

75

77

78

a*

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

37

38

7339
7440

41

43
44

19 53]
20.54
2155

22 56

23 57

24 58

25 59

26 60

27 61

28 62

29 63

30 64
3165

32 66

33 67

34 68
35
36 70

45 71

46 72
47

48 74

49 75
50
5177
52

»5

6917

7340

7642 50 7643 50 7644

7845

120
2 21
322
423
524
625

7 26

8 27
928

10 29
1130

12 31

13 32

14 33

15 34

16 35
36

18 37

19 38
39 46

47
4148
42 49

50
44 51

52

531
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71

36

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

7220

73
74
75

77
78

41
42
43

45
46

2153

22 54

23 55

24 56

25 57

26 58

27 59

28 60

29 61

30 62
3163

32 64

33 65

34 66

35 67

36 68

37 69

38 70

39 71

40 72
47

48 74

49 75

50 76
5177
52 78

37

122
223
324
425

5 26

6 27
728
829
9 30

10 31
1132

12 33

13 34

14 35

15 36

16 38

17 37

18 39

19 40

20 41
42

46 51

47 52

48 53

49 54

50 55

45
43
44
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
71
70
69
68

7321 42 73

75
76

77
78

38

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

7220

21

7422

47
48
49
50

23 46

24 45

25 55

26 56

27 57

28 58

29 59

30 78

31 77

32 76

33 75

34 74

35 73

36 72

37 71

38 70

39 69

40 68
4167

42 661

43 65

44 64
5163

52 62

53 61

54 60

perpetrated, as it is, by the sanction of law, and the
tolerance of custom.

All the combinations used in this lottery have been
given, as also the number that might be made; and, of
course, the less the dealer in lotteries makes, the greater
the chance in his favor, and the less in favor of the buyer.
The figures heading the classes of combinations, on each
page, are class-numbers, and those below the first figures,

25*

ARTS AND MISERIES

and immediately above the columns, are placed there to
indicate the number of packages.

The above are specimens of patterns of playing cards,
that the reader may rely upon the gambler's knowing by
their back as well as the generality of amusement players
know by their face. The same may be said of all the
patterns spoken of and presented to the view of the
reader on another page, of this work.

OF GAMBLING.

, ■ at a Lotwr Tick*.

-S a a { S,

It I J?

1 £ ff°-S

IfMi

|J*"1

j gl.li

ilifl

Lil)

8*8 e * 9

lists
hkjr

s ■a »

Ml

306 ARTS AND MISERIES

A Discourse on the Evils of Gaming.

1 DISCOURSE BN TIE EVILS OF fillDlG.

BT REV. E. H. CHAPIN.

<l

He that MUth the land ehaU have plenty of bread; bathe thatJoOow-
9th after vain peroont thaU have poverty enough. Afa&Ofnl man ehaU
abound with Meeting*; but he that maketh hatte to be rich ehoU not be
t.» — Prov.xxviii. 19, JO.

I propose, in this discourse, to treat upon the vice of
Gaming. And it will be well for us to define, in the
commencement, what we mean by gaming. We include,
then, in our definition of this term, all games of hazard
with cards, dice, balls, and the like, for money and other
valuable considerations. We do not wish to lengthen
out our remarks by entering into minute specifications,
or to involve our subject with nice and subtile casuistry.
There is a well-defined meaning to this term, gaming,
which is understood by all ; and we have just stated it

Let me say further, that, however much or little a per-
son may practise this vice, I condemn it utterly, as a
principle — penny or sixpenny stakes as much as the
game where thousands hang balanced upon the trembling
cast Small as the amount may be, it is the door to an
infinite abomination, and I cannot uphold the least
trifling with firebrands, arrows, and death. But 1 may
be asked, " Would you do away with off playing with
cards or dice, even when the game is entirely free from
stakes ? " I answer, that I am aware that there is a nar-
row and superstitious idea about the handling of cards,
that is idle and trivial ; but I like not that the young, es-
pecially, should use the instruments of gaming, in any
way, however innocent. I like it not for the same rea
son that I ilke not the sipping of one draught of arden*.

op gambling: 997

A Discourse on this Evils of Gaming.

spirits. Now, I do not suppose — nobody supposes —
that there is any intrinsic harm in drinking one tem-
perate draught of ardent spirits. But why does the
temperance pledge wisely prohibit it? Because one
draught may kindle the inclination for another — be-
cause every drunkard had his jSrsf draught ; and there-
fore, in order that no evil may come in, it is wisely for*
bidden even to introduce by one step : " Shut the door
against its first overture," is the mandate — " Touch not,
taste not, handle not ! " So, especially to the young and
the easily-tempted, I would say" respecting cards, dice,
and the like. Every gamester had hisjirst game — alas !
it was not his last.

But, I repeat, I would not lengthen this discourse, or
involve it with nice reasonings ; and therefore I shall, in
the sequel, confine my remarks to games of hazard with
cards* dice, balls, and the like, for money or other valu-
able considerations.

Although, probably, gaming is practised more exten-
sively in some other portions of our country than here, it
is a vice that is widely prevalent, and especially in large
cities and their vicinities. At least, such are the facili-
ties of the present day, that young men, travelling abroad
and mingling more or less with the world, are peculiarly
exposed to its snares. My remarks, then, upon this
topic, if not actually required now by the circumstances
of any who are present, may be useful in the future ;
while there may be those here who have entered upon its
ruinous course, who may be checked, and saved at least
from the most appalling of its consequences. To these
last, if there are any such here, let me say, I ask your
close and candid attention to what may be submitted
upon this subject. I would reason fairly upon the mat-

906 ARTS AMD MIBK1HK8

A Dkconme oa the Evils at Gu^ig.

ter. If what I say is not true, or of force, you may be
justified in suffering it to remain unheeded; but if 1
speak truly, I do beseech you to act as rational, candid
men should act !

I. The first objection against this vice, which I would
mention, rests on the fact that it is a* illegitimate and
uncertain source of gain.

Man is made to labor for his subsistence. " In the
sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat thy bread," is no un-
meaning mandate. True, it is not to be construed so
narrowly as that it shall be made to mean only the actual
manual labor of all men. In the harmonious ordering
of society, it is better for the whole that each should
assume a particular kind of labor — should stand in a
special lot ; and thus the over-produce of one exchanged
for the over-produce of another, supplies all requisite sub-
sistence to the mass. Each member of the body dis-
charges a different office from the other, but that office
contributes to the good of the whole framework. So,
he who stands in the mart, or flies the swift shuttle, or
trims the white sail, or strives for man's physical, intel-
lectual, or moral good, is fulfilling the original ordinance
of labor as truly as he who cleaves the virgin soil or fells
the tall tree. But, we say, in one way or another, it is
incumbent upon all men to labor.

Now, there are those who do not produce ; and why ?
In the first place, they may live on the wealth which an-
other has accumulated, and bequeathed to them. But
here, you perceive, there has been labor. In order to
this accumulation, there must have been effort — effort
somewhere, by somebody ; though the brain that con-
trived, and the hand that wrought, may now be moulder-
ing in the grave. If independence has been secured to

Of GAMBLING. 209

A Discourse on the Evils of Gaming.

him by the wealthy man's father, or grandfather, it only
shows that the heir is an exception to the general rule
which his family has followed ; and if he is a mere man
of ease without labor, he is a most dishonorable excep-
tion. Moreover, another remark is certain. Without
productive toil, without the effort that accumulates,
that hereditary treasure must soon become wasted ; that
heaped-up property must, in a country like this, soon find
its level ; and the burden of toil will fall upon the de-
scendants of # the wealthy man, as it did upon his an-
cestors.

Or, secondly, a man may be exempt from labor, be-
cause of his titular power and property, as in Europe.
But here this one class must live by unlawful exactions
from another. The poor man's sweat must be poured
out doubly, his sinews must be overstrained, in order to
the rich baron's or* lord's support ; and thus this baron
or lord is only exempt from the universal law of labor
by a manifestly unequal and unjust, although established
rule.

Or, again, a man may be exempt from labor by appro-
priating that which is not his own to his own use. But
robbery and fraud are crimes ; and so it is only by being
a criminal that a man, in this way, can be free from the
human lot of toil.

Thus we see, whichever way we look, that the only
legitimate means of accumulating gain is lobar. The
charm or talisman of fairy tales is a childish idea, but no
more absurd than the idea that we can live, and live law-
fully and truly, without toil — no more absurd than the
idea that we can suddenly become rich, and spend the
rest of our days in indolent ease, lapped in wealth. We
cannot lawfully and naturally become rich without labor,

300 Apt* AND MISERIES

A Diteoane oo the Evils of Gaming.

either by our own brain, or those of oar fathers — if we
do, our wealth is our illegitimate product — it strains
something of the general order — it will not long remain
so. For thus runs the great law, — " He that tilleth his
land shall have plenty of bread ; but he that followeth
after vain persons shall have poverty enough. A faithfiil
man shall abound with blessings; but he that meheth
haste to be rich shall not be innocent' 1

In view of these truths, how is it with gaming 1 h
that a legitimate source of wealth ? Is it not based upon
a craving desire to avoid the regular means of accumula-
tion 1 Is it not a " making haste to be rich " ? Why- do
you pursue this course 1 In the first few instances, per-
haps, merely for amusement; but the charm that soon
winds itself around your heart, is the idea of becoming
suddenly the possessor of a great sum. This is the lead-
ing cord that drags you far out into the vortex of ruin. I
know the . gamester's plea, after a while. It is, that he
only plays to secure that which he has lost But what
led him at first to play thus deep — to lose thus heavily t
The idea, I repeat, of becoming suddenly rich. Such
heavy stakes were not thrown down so eagerly, so anx-
iously, without a hope of gain. The glittering hoard
poured out there upon the table — flashing in the light —
fired his heart with the thought that it might be his, and
he laid down his stake with that fond hope. He entered,
perhaps reluctantly, that gilded saloon. He would go to
see how others played. " There is no harm in that," said
he. He would just, to pass away an hour, put down a
trivial stake. Said he, "There is no harm in that."
And then he turned to go away. But that yellow coin
-—so tempting, so bright — how easily it might be his!
MGgkt be? Surely 1 — Did he not see, but now, lean,

Or GAMBLING. 801

A Discourse on the Evils of Gaming.

eager fingers sweeping it in, because of one lucky cast
of the die 1 That hoard might be his. It would make
him rich — free from care — free from labor ; he, will
" try." That fatal trial ! On that he loses. Then it is
that the specious snare is completely twined around him,
and he struggles in its toils. Then it is that he begins
the trite, fallacious argument that he must make up what
he has lost. Ah, says truth, " A faithful man shall abound
with blessings ; but, he that maketh haste to be rich shall
not be innocent."

Gaming, then, is an illegitimate source of gain. It is
out of the usual round of labor, and, even if its object is
reached, the gamester does not reach it naturally and law-
fully. The hoard that the lucky gamester transfers to his
own purse, is made up from the losses of others. Others
have labored for it. It is stained with the tears of starving
children — with the blood of broken hearts — with the
sweat of honest men, from whom it may have been wrung
by robbery and fraud. It is unnatural that so much
wealth should come, suddenly — by the falling of a piece
of ivory, by the upturning of a slip of paper, by the course
of a polished ball — into the possession of one man. It
conies, drop by drop, with pangs of agony and death,
from some other quarter to meet this supply !

But gaming is, likewise, an uncertain source of gain.
Grant that the hoard which but now lay glittering upon
the table has become yours by the cast of the die. I
aay, it is an uncertain possession.

In the first place, it is uncertain because of that natural
inclination which we all have to repeat a successful and
gainful experiment. In lawful pursuits, this feeling some-
times carries us to a great, and even a fatal extent. The
mariner who has pursued many voyages, and heaped up

96

302 ARTS AND MISERIES

A Dmcoutm on the Evils of Gaming.

a splendid competency by his ventures, still thirsts far
one more cruise; and, perhaps, leaves his bones to
whiten on the floor of the sea, sprinkled with his wrecked
and deceitful treasure. The merchant, tempted by one
gainful speculation, tries another, and yet another ; until
the hazard which has gathered force with every new un-
dertaking, turns against him with a whirlwind power, and
scatters his possessions from him forever. Bat in the
lawful dealings of men there, are certain fixed laws of
trade, that have in them, in the natural course of things,
some pledge of security and success. But the gamester,
with all this burning passion to try twice and thrice the
fortune that has smiled upon him once, has not likewise
this regularity and security to depend upon. His venture
is confessedly " a game of chance " — its charm lies in
chance ; and it is as uncertain where fortune will fall, upon
the next throw, as it is where the up-tossed and scattered
water-drops will make their bed. So the natural desire
in all men to try fortune again, and yet again, blended
with the peculiar circumstances of the gamester's case,
makes his gain highly uncertain.

But again ; his gain is uncertain, because he mast
conform to the rules of those with whom he associates
and which they please to term honorable. If he has won
from others, he must give them an opportunity of win-
ning their own back, (that, remember, is one of his
apologies for playing, that he must win his own back ;)
and so he is launched again into the sea of hazard, from
which, it is almost certain, he will come out wrecked
and shorn.

But we will suppose that he pockets his gain, and is fairly
clear of the gaming-house — how will it be likely to prove
then ? Why, the old rule will, it is probable, be seen to

OF GAMBLING. 303

A DJflcoone on the Evils of Owning.

be true. That which is lightly gotten will be lightly
■pent The value of that possession only, which has
been toiled far, is truly felt The hands that have ached
with labor only know how to dispense the fruits of that
.labor with prudence. I venture to affirm that in nine
cases out of ten the gamester's money is spent as easily
as it is won — and he dies poor. For so I read the
ordinance, " He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of
bread ; but he that followeth after vain persons shall have
Poverty enough"

Honest labor — the furrowed land, the full-stored
warehouse, the well-wrought fabric, the industrious hand,
the busy brain ; these, and these only, are the legitimate
and certain sources of wealth. The gamester is seeking
riches unnaturally and unlawfully.

II. The second objection against the vice of gaming,
which I would mention, is, that it begets neglect of
business.

If the accounts we receive of it be true, this is an
absorbing and exciting pursuit Once engaged in it,
heart, soul, sense, become enlisted, and all the duties
of life are sacrificed to this dream of dreams. Its
.votary is spell-bound, and drawn along with no eyes or
ears for aught else. Hence business must suffer. The
young man, who, after the labors of the day are over,
enters the gaming-house to try his fortune for an hour, is
led on to try it for two hours — for three — for a whole
night Wan and haggard, with blood-shot eyes and
swimming brain, how heavily does he discharge the
duties of the succeeding day ! His mind wanders back
to the excitement of the past night — deluded and be-
wildered with dreams of sudden wealth — warped by the
attendant dissipation of his games ; and this is the young

3M ARTS AND MISERIES

oa the Bvili ef Gtaiag.

gamester's first essay. By and by, he begins to encroach
upon the hoars of labor. The morning light breaks ia
upon his play; — the rays of high noon fall on the
scattered cards, the broken dice, the smeared tables, the
haggard faces of the gaming^room. ' Weeks succeed to
days— months to weeks — years to months. What em-
ployer will retain him t What business will support him f

It is an ordinance — a firm, fixed ordinance — that only
" he who tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread " —
only " the faithful man shall abound with blessings." The
sunshine and the rain may rail upon that earth in which
no seed has been sown, or upon which rankling weeds
have been suffered to grow — the sunshine and the rain
may fall there, but that earth will yield no harvest. The
sails may be set from the proud ship's masts, the compass
may point duly to the north, and the chart be unrolled ;
but, unless a strong hand rests upon the helm, and a
master treads the deck, she rolls among .the billows, and
drifts where the four winds send her. So, with every
faculty for success, and the light of promise in the soul,
the man neglecting the lawful means of subsistence can-
not expect to find those means working for him without
his agency. If he neglects his business for the gaming-
table, his business will neglect him. If, instead of till-
ing his land, he follows after vain persons, ".he shall
have poverty enough.' 1

And I say, launched full tide in the vice of gaming, he
does neglect his business. It is a passion that grows
upon him. It absorbs every other consideration. The
surrounding world becomes reduced to a small, in-
tense centre before his wild, fixed eyes ; and that centre
is the gaming-table. Duty, honor, hopes of future sub-
sistence, all, all are sacrificed upon this hot-burning altar

OF GAMBLING. 305

A Discourse on the Evils of Gaining.

of Moloch I O, there have been those who have rushed
so madly into this ruin, it would seem as if the first
draught they had quaffed there in that haunt of sin had
been fiendishly drugged, and some burning insanity had
fallen upon their brain. Possessed, perchance, of a hand-
some competency — with a full, firm credit, and the tide
of business setting prosperously and fair — what means it
that all at once they should neglect their usual labor, leave
the hammer idle on the bench, the store uncared for, the
office vacant? What means it that they should drain
away that competency, handful after handful, without
replenishing? What means it that they should let that
credit tarnish and die ? — that, despite the remonstrance
of friends, wife, children, parents, they should become
fixed, chained, doomed to the gaming-table ? O, this is
a most pernicious, a deadly evil. It leads to the neglect
of every honorable source of competency and support —
to loss of character, credit, business, means. It is true,
true as the Bible, as reason and common sense are true,
that " He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread;
but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty
enough. A faithful man shall abound in blessings ; but
he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent"

III. Another objection lies against gaming because of
the vices which are likely to accompany it.

" He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be inno-
cent." Forsaking the appointed means of labor, in order
to secure the desired end, means unnatural and unlawful
will, it is quite probable, be resorted to. The induce-
ment that will lead a man to neglect his business and to
waste his property, even the sustenance of his wife and
children, may draw him still farther from the path of
rectitude and moral obligation. The young man, who,

26*

U<rm epeaujj*e; m hmr at (fee
ap**d the tttffl*, mA then to
4iui hh employer, will, very p a m Mj , be led to
ijfMJ that emjrf'jyer'a property — iai then,
unjutt, may become duhmutt. Tb» is bo
Usual l«»p, I venture to affirm that the paaaaon far gaaa»
lug baa led many to be dishonest What! will he who
ran wrimch the very croat from hia starving family, and
pawn fh<$ twd from under them, and rush oat, despite
(Mr prnyera and team, to throw the paltry stake, that the
artldtta hare procured, upon the gaming-board — will
aiir.ti a niati spare the property of another, think you,
when opportunity aids? — He who can thus deaden the
MttfiihtifMitN of affection and duty, will suffer the unholy
Kami* Ihnt burns within him to scorch up every feeling
(if honor nitri probity. All, all will be sacrificed to this
litttiitw, nlworhing rxoitmncnt. The vice of dishonesty,
then, will very naturally accompany that of gaming.

Then tlmrt* is intemperance. How many have been
led to drink deep and fiercely, in the thirst of intense
pRimUm kiiulltMt in thin pursuit I The gamester and the
dttitikard — how often joined in one individual ! Disap-
pointment, rage, despair — all seek to drown their fires*
in the intoxicating draught, that reenfbrees and donbly
heat* them, Temptingly, too, to the young man — to
the nouoe, relnetant, fearful! abashed — temptingly is
the >viue*oup proffered to hia lips, that, in a season of
M*e hardihood and aeltfivrgetfulness, he may hazard the
fatal die. In all the degrees mnd mutations of gaming,
tVs^n the ttarfulneo* of the first trial, through the eager-
ne** and exoitemettt oT hope, the flush of triumph, and
the ttauv of despair, intemperance » a vice
wdtju vae) «atwally k aocvnyaniea it

Or GAMBLING. . 90?

A Dteooune on tbe Evils of Gaining.

Ettothiolness and extravagance are alio kindred vices
to gaming. That, at I have said before, which is lightly
won* is apt to be lightly spent The day is past in indo-
lent or feverish rest, in order to throw off the fatigues
Of one campaign, and to recruit for those "of another.
Credit is strained to its utmost tension — debts are con-
tracted that involve and harass through life. Evil asso-
ciations and intimacies are formed. The profane, the
lewd, the deeply vicious, of both sexes, hover around the
gaming-house, and draw, and entangle, and corrupt the
soul. And then the heart becomes callous to misery —
used to scenes of despair an4 blood — trained to selfish-
ness — to grasp and to give nothing — to suspect all and
confide in none.

O, truly is the gaming-house denominated a " hell."
It is a hell. Gould those trained features express the
wild and tumultuous passions of the heart — could those
passions themselves become imbodied — rage, despair,
imte, deceit, could they take shape and hover, ghostly,
there — - could the oaths that break out linger and prolong
their echoes-— could the victims of that ruin stagger in
with their gory looks and blood-shot gaze, and wild, delir-
ious execrations — could the curses of parents, the wail
of br oken-hetfrted wives, the sobs of destitute orphans', the
groans of the defrauded and the robbed, speak out from
a hundred lips ; could all these mingle with tbe lights and
the laughter of the gaming-table, what a Pandemonium
would be there ! What gamester would not turn pale,
and sink amid the scene !

And yet look in upon one of these hells. There are
order and a precise outward propriety, to be sure.
There are beaming lamps, and ruddy wine " moving
itself aright " in the crystal cups, and gay ornaments and

d06 ARTS AND MISERIES

A DtoemuM oa the Evil* of Ganteg.

appendages to mike the room showy and attractive.
And those who sit there, forsooth, are gentlemen —-they
call themselves so, and wjio can dispute it ? The/ have
a nice, a very nice sense of honor; yea, would pink yon
with pistol ball or sword point if you should doubt it, and
write their honor in your blood. All this show and ex-
treme decency is in the gaming-house. Yet what a
motley group is there I All kinds of men, from the keen,
trietl sharper, with double cards and loaded dice, to the
inexperienced, beardless youth. There worn-out libertin-
ism, with excitement 'and with drink, still fans the smoul-
dering flame of licentious passion. There bloated dissi-
pation clutches the die with trembling hands, or sweeps
in the forfeited stakes. There hoary profanity fiercely
clinches an oath with hands that have reeked with blood

— in an honorable way. There cunning fraud sits de-
mure in all save that keen, rapacious glance, that, fast-
ened upon its victim, evinces that it will have his last
coin, though with it comes his last heart-drop too. There
sits the man who plays his final stake, raised, perhaps,
upon his family Bible. Mark him. That wild, di»
tracted look — that fever-spot upon a pale, pale cheek —
that convulsed lip and brow. He loses 1 He staggers
out to end his days by his own hand ! Another loses.
He goes to maltreat and wound the hearts that still, still
cling to him around his desolate hearth. The oaths, the
laughter, the varied faces peering here and there — O,
draw the veil ; it is indeed a hell!

No dream-sketch this, my friends. Paris, London,
New Orleans, New York, — must we say Boston, tool

— could they strip off the happy disguise in which they
slumber, and lay bare the heart of sin, would show scenes
worse than these.

OF GAMBLING. 309

A Discourse oa the Evils of Gaming.

Thus gaming brings with it other and deadlier vices.
" The faithful man shall abound with blessings ; but he
that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent"
Who is addicted to this vice ? Deeply as he may be
involved in it, I trust he is yet unscathed by any of the
fearful evils that almost invariably accompany it. It is
time, however, that he should awake from this awful,
nightmare sleep. It is time — full timet I fear for him.
The words of the text are so definite — so positive. " He
that maketh haste to be rich," it says, " shall not " —mark
that — " skaU not be innocent" Let him beware! Let
him awake from his delusion !

IV. Finally ; let me mention the fearful* objection
that lies against the vice of gaming, in the amount of
individual and domestic evil that it inflicts.

This is a result that flows, of course, from the facts
already mentioned. Unlawful pursuits, neglect of busi-
ness, vices of various kinds and in various degrees, must
cause much individual and domestic evil. And these
are the natural, we may say almost the inseparable con*
sequences of gaming.

How a man's soul, strong, and vigorous, and pure, as it
may have been in the outset of his career, must become
marred and darkened, debased by associations like these t
The~physical injuries that this pursuit works upon him —
the derangement and prostration of his bodily energies,
caused by intense excitement, unnatural vigils, over-
wrought anxiety, intemperance, and strife — the physical
injuries, I say, great as they are, in comparison with other
evil effects, appear a slight matter. Even the ruin of
his business, and the waste and wreck of his property,
shrink beside these greater consequences. The injuries
he inflicts upon his soul — the marring and crushing of

j0m>jm**><m

turn *wf Wfrxm i*xm*tim* — 4*e «aitaaaasav *t the

441 m*#f **eria*«d : ^«Mr. «V*f «* ' MiyiitJ of the

!****<*►*'« <*»***, tittt «*!*« aavi *po*t the

™a^ Hf fl&y Mn WWW aasufce the teasnteal Stand DSKK

l^rr ^ flr*w# 0mc g»t£ f aV> av* exaggerate

iwr a** tte krjmm *A rhetflrie— the aeai of

T^siWff saesi have been wined, often, ones mined by the

vfce '/ ftmrnf ! And when we looked npon them, the

grotto* woe, after all, wn not that health waa gone, waa
ay* that property waa wrecked ; bat that the affectionate
heart waa changed, changed to cold, atony ice — the
tonfar *eft** of honor lost— the pore aapiration stifled
by tow, grovelling, unholy appetite. O, tAts, we feh,
w«a the deepest evil of all I How has the mother looked
on *fifth a son,— her proud, her only son; who went
forth, with a good, atrong heart, to battle with life's
rifHitlntoi for life's great ends! She hoped to see him
mm day, with bin sparkling eye and his flushed cheek,
iwnin hrotin ladmi with the proofs of his toil and his
victory. And ho did come home. O, how changed I
TIIn IVnrtio worn — his check pale, very pale — his eye
Wlltl snd favored — his lips parched and steeped in in-
ebriety— his hope* crushed — his very life only the motion
of exeltement and of passion — his very soul shattered, so
that If the music of affection still lingered there, it
quivered uncertain and discordant upon its strings.

Aud % then % the burden and concentration of alt these
evil* r**t in the spirit** alienation from religion, from
dutv» from tfod~- in it* divorce from the tilings that
wafce lor iti* peace — m its moral abandonment anal deep
aiumliM** » -■ in its sure heritage of misery and! le tiita a tka a.

Ate not the*se gv^at e^ls—^ct^aaanon evi ls - erne nnv

OF GAMBLING. 311

A Discourse on Um Evils of Qftming.

urally flowing from the vice of gaming, with its attendant
allurements and vices?

But consider, also, the domestic evil that this vice
inflicts. Who can estimate it ? Who can speak of it
in its fulness and its depth ? Who can, or who ooulu
wish to, if they could, draw, with a faithful hand, the lone
home of the gamester — the desolate family, the bleeding
heart, the tears, the misery ? Driven to the extremest
verge of destitution— nothing spared for comfort or
decency — all swallowed up in this absorbing frenzy!
Degrees there are in this misery — yet how gloomy each,
and how fearfully does the shadow of the future fall
upon the present! Would the gamester unlock the
springs of his heart that he has pressed down as with iron
—-would he suffer memory and reflection to do their
work — what pictures of his domestic life might they paint
for him ! The first in the series should be one of calm
bliss and joy. Not a cloud in the heaven, save those
tinged and made beautiful by hope. The eyes of love
looking out upon him—- the dependence of a trustful
heart, leaning upon him its all. Then the scene would
change.

A tearful and deserted wife — a sobbing, pitying child
— keeping watch with the lone night-lamp, till the
breaking of the morning. Again, . and haggard misery
would creep into the picture, adding the keenness of
deprivation to the sting of '■grief — pressing heavily upon
the bowed, crushed spirit of that wife — mingling the
drought of slighted, abused affection with the tears of
starved and shivering childhood — piercing her ear, at
once, «with the moans for bread and the curses of dis-
appointed brutality. Once more, and there should be a
grave! — a green and lowly grave— where the faithful

312 ARTS AND MISERIES

▲ DiMWio OB the Evils of Ckwiag.

heart that lowed him to the last ahould rest from all its
pangs, and the child that he had slighted ahould sleep as
cold and still aa the bosom that once nourished it ; a
gravel where even the wide and distant heaven should
be kinder than he, smiling in sunshine and weeping in
rain ot er those for whom he, in his mad career, never
smiled or wept — whom he, in his reckless course,
hurried thus early to their tomb.

Pictures like these, I say, might memory and re-
flection paint for the gamester, for scenes like these
occur every day in his real life.

Thus, to the individual, and to the domestic circle,
does this one vice of gaming bring deep and deadly
evils. I might go on with the catalogue. I might show
its effects upon community; a topic, with its statistics
and its reasonings, bulky and important enough at least
for one discourse ; but I must pause here. I trust that
I have said enough at this time to convince any, who
will be convinced, of the many and great evils of gaming.
I have not particularly alluded to the professed gamester, *
whose subsistence depends upon his skill and sharpness,
and who, hardened and imboldened in sin, fastens like a
vampyre upon the inexperienced and unwary. I leave
him with the perpetrators of other dark and heinous
crimes. But I speak to the dupes of men like these-—
especially to those who are young ; who, with energy and
hope, are going out into the world rejoicing in their
strength. I bid them beware. I bid them look closely
to their steps. Play not for the value of a pin — this
matter may hang upon a pin's point ! Harbor not, even
in so small a degree as that, this passion for gain in an
unnatural way. Labor, honorable toil, gain won in the
sweat and dust of industry — be this course yours. With

Or GAMBLING. 313

A Discourse on the Evils of Gaining.

the keen, bright sickle, or with the skilful and ready
hand, or with active eye, or busy brain, live, and work,
and reap your harvest. In such a course you shall never
fail. In others, every step you take is fraught with evil.
A great promise brightens upon the one — a fearful
threatening shadows the other. Hear them, and heed
them. " He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of
bread ; but he that followeth after vain persons shall have
poverty enough. A faithful man shall abound with
blessings ; but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not
be innocent."

Suffer me, in closing, to indulge in one other strain of
remark. I would say that the motives which will effec-
tually deter men from the vice of gaming, or reform those
addicted to it, will spring from a religious view of the
matter. When they reflect upon the true ends of life,
upon the purpose of all its gifts and opportunities, upon
the objects for which we should labor and live, — when
they reflect, I say, upon these things, with a steadfast,
solemn, searching earnestness, and act upon them,
they will cast away the implements of their unlawful
pursuit ; they will shun the gaming-house as the pavilion
of death, and act and aim for those things that lead to
duty, and heaven, and God.

But, my friends, should we pause here with the game-
ster, or with those tempted by the vice of gaming t
Whatever may be our occupation, so long as we pursue
courses that do not comprehend, as their result, the
great end of life — that do not employ % the gifts and >
opportunities of existence in a proper manner — that do »
not aim for duty, and heaven, and God — we need to be
aroused, to change our course, and to act. If we are
hazarding opportunities, and gifts, and faculties, for mart

37

314 ARTS A>*D MISERIES

A Discourse on tbe Evils of Gaming.

earthly and sensual gain, what are we but gamesters,
all! If we are playing for wealth, or pleasure, or fame,
instead of living for another life — instead of seeking
that we may grow like Christ, and come to the perfect
stature of men ' and women in him — it is time that we
should labor for higher destinies. We may apply the
text with a deeper signincancy, if we will. " He that
tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread " — his land —
his possession — his soil; what nobler possession, what
richer soil, than that of the human soul 1 — what bread
more enduring than that " which cometh down from
heaven"? — He that cultivateth his soul, then — that
openeth it to the sunshine and the rains of grace — that
letteth immortal seed drop therein, and anxiously toils
and watches for the harvest — " shall have plenty of
bread/' of eternal fruit. " But he that followeth after
vain persons," or vain things — bow differ they?, — *< ahall
have poverty enough;" shall have leanness, and barren- •
ness, and deadness of moral and religious life. So, too, " a
faithful man shall abound with blessings, — a faithful
man — a man faithful to his duty, to all his duty ; " but
he that maketh haste to be rich" — he thai is eager in
unlawful pursuits, or in the career of mere human
pleasure, wealth, fame — " shall not be innocent; " shall
not be free from tbe accusations of conscience and the
claims of duty — shall be found sinful and guilty.

Thus, my friends, can the text have a meaning for us
all. Let us heed it — let us be tillers of the land — let
us be faithful men and women. For " he that tilleth his
land shall have plenty of bread ; but he that followeth
after vain persons shall have poverty enough. A faithful
man shall abound with blessings ; but he that maketh
haste to be rich shall not be innocent."

OF GAMBLING. 315

Conctntkm.

O0RCLD8I0N.

A few words more before I close this volume. Let no
one lay the flattering unction to his soul, that the life of
a gambler, under any circumstances, is a happy one. If
it were, the Bible would not be true ; for we are there
told that " the way of transgressors is hard." This is
true of evil-doers of every kind, but peculiarly so of
gamblers. If the gambler is unsuccessful, his wicked-
ness of mind, and feeling of sel£degradation, are more
than it is in the power of language to portray. And if,
on the other hand, he is successful, his mental condition
is scarcely, if any, better. Unless he has schooled him-
self into a state of brutal insensibility, he is, even in the
midst of the most profuse luxury and gorgeous splendor,
constantly tortured with those pangs of remorse, which
must ever harrow up the bosoms of those who riot in the
possession of ill-gotten gain. And, besides, there is no
wealth that is so precarious and evanescent as that of the
gambler. To-day his coffers are filled, and he is sur-
rounded with multitudes of smirched, fawning flatterers,
and he fondly blesses himself that " his mountain stands
strong ; " that Fortune will always smile propitiously upon
him. To-morrow, his riches have, to his own and to
every body's astonishment, taken to themselves wings and
flown away ; and now his accustomed crowd of flatterers
have all disappeared like a scene of enchantment, and
none are so poor as to do him reverence. But if any are
disposed to question the instability of the gambjer's
wealth, and, at the same time, are believers in the in-
spiration of the Scriptures, I beg them to listen to their
testimony : it is this-—" He that by usury and unjust gain

M6 ARTS AM> MISERIES

increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that
will pity the poor." This is the firm, the irrevocable
decree of Heaven, and no power on earth can defeat or
circumvent the execution of it Sooner or later, in some
"form or other, it will be verified in every solitary instance,
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it

A distinguished writer has said, that " a day, an
hour, of virtuous liberty is worth a whole eternity of
bondage." For twelve years' I was addicted to the vice
of gambling ; and few, perhaps, have had greater success
than I had. For more than two years past I have been
happily divorced from that vice, and have been humbly
endeavoring to lead a new life ; and most truly can I say,
that I would not give one hour of such pleasure as I now
experience, for all that I ever realized while enslaved by
that odious and destructive vice. And to my former
companions in folly, I would earnestly and most affec-
tionately say, in conclusion, Escape for your lives from
that gulf to which you are hastening. Return to the
walks of virtue and usefulness ; and certain I am that
you will never, never repent of it, but will always cherish
the remembrance of it as one of the happiest days of
your existence. The generous-hearted and the good
will every where welcome you with open arms ; and if
you persevere in your reformation, the dark passages in
your former history will be buried in perpetual oblivion,
— the past will be forgotten, and will be as though it had
never been. The benevolence of society is becoming
more and more assimilated to the benevolence of God
himself. And what does God promise to the reclaimed,
repentant wanderer from the path of virtue ? It is, that
he will remember his iniquities against him no more for-
ever. And thus it is with enlightened Christian so-

OF GAMBLING. 3lt

Conchiiion.

ciety ; and this is one of the great secrets, as I humbly
conceive, of the mighty progress of the great work of
moral reform in the nineteenth century ; and may this
work go on, until vice and immorality of every kind
shall be banished from the world 1

27 •

< ».

APPENDIX.

NOTICES OF THIS WORK, LETTERS, 4c

[From the Baltimore Lutheran Observer, edited by the

Rev. B. Kurtz, D. D.]

Air Exposure or the Arts and Miseries of Gambling ;
designed especially as a Warning to the Youthful and Inexpe-
rienced, against the Evils of that odious and destructive Vice.
Br J. H. Green. Revised by a literary Friend.

We have read this interesting work with feelings of
inexpressible horror for the patent "gambler," and of
deep commiseration for his unhappy victims. Though
we have no acquaintance whatever, either theoretically
or practically, with the art of gambling, yet we have
always regarded it as a species of robbery, and a prolific
source of varied crime, deserving the universal and most
unqualified condemnation of all the friends of virtue, and
of all good citizens. But the iniquitous practice, as
developed in Mr. Green's book, in all its windings, and
deceptions, and temptations, misery, wretchedness, des-
olating moral tendency, ruin and destruction both as
regards time and eternity, is absolutely appalling, and
almost incredible. Mr. Green, writing as he has done,
from sad' experience, has produced a remarkable book,
which ought to be read by all, and especially by the young
and unwary, and which, if it receives but a tithe of the
attention it seems to us to merit, will rouse the public
from its stupor on the subject of gambling, and bring
about an effort not unlike that employed in the cause
of the glorious temperance reformation, which will not
relax until the hellish machinations and cruelties of
gaming are swept from the land. The history of young

APPENDIX. 319

Notice by IUt. B. Kurtz, D. D. — Letter Iron President Baacora.

C, of Va., crowded as ft is with the most astounding and
thrilling events, is of itself calculated to enlist e?ery
bosom, in which a heart not entirely bereft of humanity
pulsates, in a manly and fearless effort against this
dreadful engine of degradation and ruin to thousands of
the young men of our country. The public owe a debt
of gratitude to Mr. Green, the noble pioneer in this
branch of reform.

We feel disposed to enlarge, and dwell at length on
this subject ; but the following very clear and emphatic
remarks from the vigorous pen of Dr. Bascom, president
of Transylvania University, in a letter to the author,
render it unnecessary to say any more in relation to
Mr. G.'s book.

TRAifsrLVAiux Unitersttt, Jan. 90, 1844.

My Dear Sir: In compliance with your request, I
have examined your book on the subject of Gambling,
and, at your further request, hasten to say to you what
I think of it. Of the merits of your book, so far as it
treats of gambling as a science, I am not prepared to
speak with confidence, as I happen to be alike ignorant
of theory and practice in the case, and on this part of
the subject can only say, that it appears to me entirely
certain, from the internal evidence of the book itself, that
the author understands his subject well and thoroughly,
and is as perfectly at home, in the tricks and mysteries,
the windings and duplications, of the art, as he is in
depicting the graver villanies, the infamy and misery,
attendant upon the practice of it. I have always regarded
the vice of gambling, in all its possible forms, as low and
disreputable in character, as well as utterly base and
demoralizing in tendency. My extensive intercourse
with society, in all its classes and gradations, during a
term of thirty years, had taught me but too much of the
nature, extent, and evils of gambling, as one of the most
degrading vices of any age or country ; but until I read
your book, I had no adequate conception of the kind and
•mount of villany, to which every gambler must of neces-

320 APPENDIX.

Awn Pwrtiwt Wmtom an* the Hjo. Ja*f*

shy become a pander and a party. Your exposure of
• the whole subject, in all its complicated deformity, moat,
I think, operate in the moat favorable remits, and be
productive of a great and of direct and ultimate good.
No weU-regulated mind, it seems to me, can be made
acquainted with the facts yon disclose, especially the
more attractive arts and practices, relied open by the
initiated of the profession, without a degree of contempt
for the gambler and his felon art, which must exert a
corrective, as well as conservative influence, wherever h
is felt. Before closing this brief notice, I take the
liberty, without your knowledge or consent, of claiming
for your work the merit of originality, for I believe no
one has preceded you in the path you have chosen.
Your book is unique in kind, and must explain itself
Others have described and denounced, but you have given
us the anatomy of gambling, secundum artem ; and as a
pioneer in this department of moral reform, allow me to
bid you God speed, and wish you and your cause abun-
dant success.

H. B. Bascom.

Mr. J. H. Grbbv, of Cincinnati, OU*.

[From the Hon. Judge Eggwlston.]

Madison, Indiana, Jtfsy 13, 1844.

Dear Sir : I have been so much engaged since I re-
ceived your book on Gambling, that I have not been able
to give it more than a cursory reading. My absence
from home until Friday evening last will account for my
not complying with your request before, by giving you my
opinion of its tendency to lessen, if not entirely correct,
the enormous and crying evil it assails. My opinion is,
that it cimpjst but have the effect of greatly diminishing

APPENDIX. 9*1

Letter from the Hon. Judge Eggtoeton.

the truly frightful malady it seems your wish to cure,
by putting the ignorant and unwary upon their guard
against the insidious wiles and consummate knavery of
those who, follow gambling as a profession, and would
lure them to their ruin.. I consider the crusade you
have set on foot against professional gambling, on a par
with that which is going on against intemperance, and
as necessary to the moral regeneration of the social
state ; and I feel assured that you will carry with you,
as you certainly ought, the sincere .approbation and
cordial support of every virtuous man and woman in the
country. The approving smiles of Heaven and your
own conscience, which are worth more than all besides,
will assuredly be yours. You may expect strong resent-
ments and determined opposition from those whose
practices you attack and expose. But this is the case
with all who would reform mankind, and oppose the* in-
terests of others. You should brave it all ; and if you
succeed, you will have the applause, as your efforts will
deserve to have, the good will and support of all whose
opinions are worth any good man's having or desiring.
May God assist you, and crown your labors with success !

Yours, dec.

M. C. EOGLESTON.

[JFVom the Louisville Journal, edited by G. D. Prentice.]

Green on Gambling. — We have the best authority
for saying that Mr. Green thoroughly understands all the
mysteries of gambling. He knows, for he has practised
the tricks by which the unwary are swindled out of their
money by the accomplished gamester; and he has com-
pletely exposed them in his book on the subject. AH
who are anxious to understand the depth of the infamy

488 APPENDIX.

Notiee by Geotfn D. Prentice, ud fegr Natkut Guilford.

of gambling, as it it practised, should read these pages.
No man, once made acquainted with the kind of swindling
to which ne is exposed, would venture to play a game
with a professional blackleg. Mr. Greed has proved, to
the satisfaction of many in this city, that, by glancing at
the backs of cards, he can tell their faces, whether the
backs are plain or figured. The experiment has been tried
here repeatedly, and, in every instance, he designated the
various cards that were offered him by merely looking at
their backs. What he knows is known to the class to
which he belonged. Hence no man can play with
those who understand the mysteries of gambling, without
losing.

Mr. Green deserves the thanks of the community lor
unveiling the iniquities of gambling. He has been suc-
cessful in forming anti-gambling societies here and else-
where. He proceeds hence to the west and south, where
we hope he will meet with the success he deserves in his
efforts to banish this stupendous vice from the land. He
carries the highest testimonials.

[From the Cincinnati Daily Atlas,. edited by
Nathan Guilford.]

There are some vices of so seductive a character, that
men will hardly abstain from them, even if one rise from
the dead to persuade them. Of this sort is gambling,
which prevails in every state of society, from the most
savage to the most civilized, and has, we think, infested
the human species from the earliest ages — every where
condemned and denounced by the wise and the expe-
rienced. If we mistake not, it flourishes especially in the
extremes of barbarism and of artificial refinement, al-
luring the naked savage into the most fatal excesses, and

APPENDIX.

Notice by Nathan Guilford. — Letter from Robert Morrison.

celebrating its dreadful orgies, on the grandest scale, in
the saloons of Paris and London. We are not exempt
from its evils in this country. Gaming is but too well
suited to the mercurial temperament of our people, and
the erratic lives led by a large portion of our population
expose them peculiarly to the contagion. We look
therefore with favor upon any effort, however humble,
which may contribute to expose the odious features of
this vice, and to warn the inexperienced against its
allurements. Gaming is not a vice of our firesides ; it is
seldom seen in the social circles of American society.
But it infests our highways and byways, and lies in wait
for the unwary, in all the great avenues of commerce and
pleasure. The hotels, the steamboats, and all places of
public resort, are filled with its ministers and engines of
destruction.

*%»S^»«KV\^>*N^>^^V«'W/%/WN<»*W>.' , »/V»^»»

[From Robert Morrison, Superintendent of the Boston

Farm School.']

Boston Farm School, Dec. 20, 1844.
Mr. J. H. Green :

Dear Sir : I have perused the two volumes which
you were so kind as to present to me, and have read
portions of them to the boys under my care.

The little volume, " Gambling Unmasked," shows the
dangers to which a youth is exposed, who has no guard*
ian to, control him, and the great risk he runs in mixing
with bad associates.

I consider your other work, " Green on Gambling," to
be highly useful to young men, especially to those who
design to travel south or west. It will serve as a
monitor to warn them against the dangers which lie in
their path, and make them acquainted with the artifices
practised by unprincipled men, to the ruin of many an
unsuspecting youth.

I am, respectfully, yours,

Robert Morrison.

APPENDIX.

Law of Ohio for ike Sappreasion of Gambling .

\Law of Ohio far the Suppression of Gambling, drafted

by J. H. Green!]

Section I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly
<y the State of Ohio, That if any person shall keep a
room, building, or arbor, booth, shed, or tenement, to be
used or occupied for gambling, or shall, knowingly, per-
mit the same to be used or occupied for gambling ; or if
any person, being the owner of such room, building, arbor,
booth, shed, or tenement, shall rent the same to be used
or occupied for gambling, the persons so offending shall,
on conviction thereof, be fined in any sum not less than
fifty dollars, nor more than five hundred dollars ; and if
any owner of any room, building, arbor, booth, shed, or
tenement, shall know that any gambling-tables, apparatus,
or establishment is kept or used in such room, building,
arbor, booth, shed, or tenement, for gambling, and win-
ning, betting, or gaining money, or other property, and
shall not forthwith cause complaint to be made against
the person so keeping or using the room, building, arbor,
booth, shed, or tenement, he shall be. taken, held, and
considered to have knowingly permitted the same to be
used and occupied for gambling.

Sect. 2. If any person shall keep or exhibit any gam-
ing-table, establishment, device, or apparatus to win or
gain money, or other property of value, or to aid or assist,
or permit others to do the same ; or if any person shall
engage in gambling for a livelihood, or shall be without
any fixed residence, and in the habit or practice of gam-
bling, he shall be deemed and taken to be a common
gambler, and upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned
and kept at hard labor in the penitentiary not less than
one, nor more than five years, and be fined five hundred
dollars, to be paid into the treasury of the county where
such conviction shall take place, for the use of common
schools therein.

Sect. 3. If an affidavit shall be filed with the magis-
trate before whom complaint shall be made of an offence

APPENDIX. S26

Law of Ohio for the Suppression of Gambling.

against any provisions of this act, stating that the affiant
has reason to believe, and does believe, that the person
charged in such complaint has upon his person, or at any
other place named in such affidavit, any money, or any
specified articles of personal property, or any gaming-
table, device, apparatus, the discovery of which might
tend to establish the truth of such charge, the said magis-
trate shall, by his warrant, command the officer, who is
authorized to arrest the person so charged, to make dili-
gent search for such money or property, and table, device,
or apparatus ; and if found, to bring the same before such
magistrate — and the officer seizing the same, shall retain
possession thereof, subject to the order of the magistrate
before whom he takes the same, until the discharge, or
commitment, or letting to bail of the person charged;
and in case of such commitment, or letting to bail of the
person so charged, such officer shall retain such property,
subject to the order of the court before which such offender
may be required to appear, until his discharge or convic-
tion. And in case of the conviction of such person, the
gaming-table, device, or apparatus shall be destroyed, and
the money and other property shall be liable to pay any
judgment which may be rendered against such person ;
and in case of the discharge of such person by the magis-
trate, or court, the officer having such property in his
custody, shall, on demand, deliver it to such person.

Sect. 4. If any person called to testify on behalf of
the state before any justice of the peace, grand-jury, or
court, upon any complaint, information, or indictment,
for any offence made punishable by this act, shall disclose
any fact tending to criminate himself in any matter made
punishable by this act, he shall thereafter be discharged
of and from all liability to prosecution or punishment for
such matter of offence.

Sect. 5. It shall be lawful for any justice of the peace,
chief magistrate of the municipal incorporation, or judge
of any court of common pleas, upon complaint on oath,
that any gaming-table, establishment, apparatus, or de-
vice is kept for the purpose of being used to win or gain

28

MS APPENDIX.

Law of Penmyhrmnia lor the Suppression of Gsmbtiag

— — r

booth, shed, or tenement, he shall be taken, held, and
considered to have knowingly permitted the same to be
used and occupied for gambling.

Sxot. 2. If any person shall keep or exhibit any gam-
ing-table, establishment, device, or apparatus to win or
gain money, or other property of value, or to aid, assist,
or permit others to do the same; or if any person: shall
engage in gambling for a livelihood, or shall be without
any fixed residence, and in the habit or practice of gam-
bling, he shall be deemed and taken to be a common
gambler, and upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned
and kept at hard labor in the penitentiary not less than
one, nor more than five years, and be fined five hundred
dollars, to be paid into the treasury of the county where
such conviction shall take place, for the use of common
schools therein, to be divided among the accepting school
districts in such county, in proportion to the number of
taxable inhabitants in each district.

Sect. 3. If an affidavit shall be filed with the magis-
trate before whom complaint shall be made of an offence
against any provision of this act, stating that the affiant
has reason to believe, and does believe, that the person
charged in such complaint has upon his person, or at any
other place named in^uch affidavit, any specified articles
of personal property, or any gaming-table, device, or
apparatus, the discovery of which might lead to establish
the truth of such charge, the said magistrate shall, by his
warrant, command the officer, who is authorized to arrest
the person so charged, to make diligent search for such
property and table, device, or apparatus ; and if found, to
bring the same before such magistrate, and the officer so
seizing shall deliver the same to the magistrate before
whom he takes the same, who shall retain possession,
and be responsible therefor until the discharge, or com*
mitment, or letting to bail of the person charged ; and
in case of such commitment, or letting to bail of the
person so charged, such officer shall retain such property,
subject to the order of the court before which such offender
may be required to appear, until his discharge :or con via*

• ■• . ■

APPENDIX. 390

• $• * V Low of Pennsylvania for the Suppression of Gambling.

• • t- , * i — f-^ '-

...... ^

*. $ion. And in case of the conviction of such person, the
jg^ming-table, device, or apparatus shall be destroyed, and
•;.i^e property shall be liable to pay 'any judgment which
fifty be rendered against such person*; and after the pay-
^feftt of such judgment and costs, the surplus, if any,
-pffoll be paid to the use of the common schools aforesaid,
' . -iHbd in case of the discharge of such person by the magis-
trate, or court, the officer having such property in his
^'custody, shall, on demand, deliver it to such person.

Sect. 4. If any person called to testify on behalf of

. the state before any justice of the peace, grand-jury, or

court, upon any, complaint, information, or indictment,

• for any offence made punishable by this act, shall disclose

any fact tending to criminate himself in-any manner made

punishable by this act, he shall thereafter be discharged

of and from all liability* to prosecution or punishment for.

such matter or offence.

.<•• Sect. 5. It shall be lawful for any justice of the peace,

.":". chief magistrate of any municipal incorporation, or judge

*.. of any court of common pleas, upon complaint upon an

" oath,, that any gaming-table, establishment, apparatus, or

, * device is kept by any person for the purpose of being

used to win or gain money or other property, by the

owner thereof, or any other person, to issue his war-

. ".rant, commanding any sheriff, or constable, to whom the

■ same shall ;be. directed, within the proper jurisdiction,

after derriaft&ng entrance, to break open and enter any

4 house or other place wherein such gaming establish-

. -rnent, apparatus, or device shall be kept, and to seize and

' ' : ' : safely keep the same, to be dealt with as hereinafter

'„ V provided.

\, Sect. 6. Upon return of saiA iyarrant executed, the
authority issuing the same shall' proceed to examine and
' inquire touching the said complaint, and if satisfied that
thJ itfitie is true, he shall order the officer so seizing such
gaming establishment, apparatus, or device, forthwith to
dfeSUP^y the same ; which order .the said\offieer shall pro-
cejfftofr execute* in the presence of said authority, unless
; : the person charged as keeper of said g&tnng establish-

•v. . •. • *j8*

. \

APPENDIX.

Law of Pennsylvania tor the Suppression of Gambling.

•

ment, apparatus, or device, shall, without delay, enter
into a recognisance in the sum of six hundred dollars, ;
with sufficient sureties, to be approved by said authority; .«
for the appeal of said complaint to the Court of Common*
Pleas, next to be held in the proper county, conditioned t
that the defendant will appear at the next term of the*
court to which he appeals, and abide the order of said**.*
court, and for the payment of the fall amount of the finer
and all costs, in case he shall be found guilty of the
offence charged, and judgment be rendered against him
in said court.

Sect. 7. The officer taking such recognisance shall
return the same to the clerk of the court to which said ap-
peal is taken forthwith, and such clerk shall file the same
ra his office, and the complaint shall be prosecuted in such
court, by indictment, as in other criminal cases; and upon
conviction thereof, the appellant shall be fined not more
than fifty dollars, and shall pay the costs of prosecution ;
and such gaming establishment, apparatus, or device
shall be destroyed.

Sect. 8. If any person or persons shall, through invita-
tion or device, persuade or prevail on any person or per- '
sons to visit any room, building, arbor, booth, shed, or
tenement, kept for the use of gambling, he or they shall,
upon conviction thereof, be held responsible for the mo-
ney or properties lost by such invitation or device, and
fined in a sum not less than fifty f and not more than five
hundred dollars.

Sect. 9. It shall be the duty of all sheriffs, constables,
and all prosecuting attorneys to inform and prosecute all
offenders against this act, and upon refusal thereof, they
shall pay a fine of not less than fifty, nor more than five
-hundred dollars.

Sect. 10. This act shall be given in charge to the
Grand Jury, by the President Judge of the Court of
Quarter Sessions in the respective counties.

Sect. 11. This act shall take effect on the first day. of
July next. - . * -y

APPENDIX. 881

Recommendations*

[Recommendations.']

Cincinnati, Jukft 1843.

We, the undersigned, believing that Mr. J. H. Green's
proposed publication [" The Arts and Miseries of
Gambling"] will be eminently useful in counteracting
one of the most pernicious and demoralizing vices of
the age, take great pleasure in recommending it to the
patronage of the public.

Rev. CHARLES ELLIOTT,
Editor of the Western Christian Advocate.

Ret. L. L. HAMLIN E,
Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

D. K. ESTE,
Judge of the Superior Court, Cin. Ham. Co.

Rev. JAMES P. KILBRETH.

SAMUEL WILLIAMS.

JOHN M'LEAN,
Judge of the United States Court.

Rev. W. H. RAPER.

THOMAS J. BIGGS,
President of the Cincinnati College.

SAMUEL W. LYITO, D. D.,
Pastor of the Ninth Street Baptist Church.

Hon. JACOB BURNET.

Rev. JOHN F. WRIGHT;

H. E. SPENCER,
Mayor of Cincinnati.

[A Card from the Citizen* of Louisville.']

We, the undersigned, having witnessed • Mr. Green's
exhibitions of the frauds practised by the gambling frater-
nity upon the unwary, have no hesitation in certifying
the importance of his disclosures, and the very salutary
influence which must result to the ccxamuuvVj liwsv^ftvt

APPENDIX.

Recommendations.

developments. They feel persuaded that it is only neces*
sary to witness Mr. Green's illustrations of their foal
practices, to deter any of the most credulous from par-
ticipating in any game with which a gambler may be
connected.

W. N. CARTER, N. HAYDON,

H. D. NEWCOMB, HENRY C. POPE,

WILLIAM SINTON, J. T. GREY,

HENRY LAZERUS, H. BRIDGES,

J. D. SWIFT, H. W. COOD,

JOHN JOYES, L. A. PRATT,

A. THROCKMORTON, W. RODGERS,

ROBERT K. WHITE, T. F. VANMETER,

S. S. KENNEDY, J. H. THROCKMORTON,

J. I. JACOB, Jr., ISAAC EVERETT,

G. D. PRENTICE, JOHN M. MONOHON,

Editor of the Louisville Jour. SAMUEL BE ALL,

W. N. HALDEMAN, B. H. HORNSBY,

Editor of the LouitvUU Cou. C. P. VERNON.

[$f. Louis J?nti- Gambling Society. ,]

Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting are hereby
tendered to Mr. J. H. Green, for his efforts in the city of
St. Louis in exposing the arts and practices of gambling,
and in the formation of an Anti-Gambling Society — up-
wards of two thousand members.

Unanimously adopted by the meeting, April 2, 1844.

Hugh Miller, Fee. Sec'y*

The following is a card given to Mr. Green, by the
citizens of St. Louis :

The undersigned, having witnessed Mr. Green's exhi-
bition of the frauds practised by the professional gamblers
tipon the unwary, have no hesitation in certifying to the
importance of his disclosures, and the very salutary influ-
ence which must result to the community from their de-
velopment. They feel persuaded it is only necessary to

APPENDIX.

Recommendation*.

witness Mr. Green's illustrations of their foul practices,
to defer even the most credulous from participating in
any game with which a gambler may be connected.

J. B. THOMAS,
JOHN C EVANS, Richmond.
J. CURLE,

CHARLES E. ALLEN,
CHARLES COLLINS,
GEORGE E. BRICKITT,
R. 8. HIGGINS,
CHARLE8 TODD,
GEORGE H. JONES,
SAMUEL B« BULLOCK,
E. C. EADS,
A. HAULEY,
E. A. MOORE,

moses pervin,
john simonds,
james Mcdonough,
william h. moth,
j. newhead,
l. f. bucker,
c. j. carpenter,

A. GUELBRETH,

JAMES PETTERSON,

JAMES HISE,

G. B. INGERSOLL,

T. CAMPBELL,

JAMES H. MALONE,

C. FORD, Jr.,

H. REA,

JOSEPH S. HULL,

J. B. CLARK,

JOHN T. LATTIMER,

HUGH MILLER,

CHARLES A. WALTON,

CHARLES D. PUDDY,

L. R. CONNEUR,

WM. VAN DEVENTER,

ALBERT JONES,

A. P. LADEW,

DAVID MOORE,

OLIVER QUINETTE.

DijfTHJjs, January 24, 1844.

Mr. Green :

Sir, — The undersigned, in behalf of 'the citizens of
Danville, would return you their sincere thanks for your
laudable efforts to suppress a vice that has been fraught
with so much misery to mankind, and would encourage
you to perseverance, by their best wishes for your final
triumph.

They have no doubt but that you have occasionally met
unpleasantness in the course you have taken ; but the
consciousness of the rectitude of your motives will far
outweigh the sacrifices you have or may make,. and your
ultimate triumph will not only be hailed by the plaudits
of the good among your fellow-beings; but finally be

20*

APPENDIX.

Recommendations.

railed upon by One who ponders the thoughts and ac*
turns of men.

Your fiaends, truly,

J. 6. BRUCE, JAMES GORE,

WILLIAM PAWLING, C. GORE,

a s. dismutis, john ford,

W. GREEN, WILLIAM F. MARVIN,

THOMAS W. GORE, D. J. HYRES.

Fbakxfort, January 17, 1844.

Mr. J. H. Green :

Sir,— -Your departure from this place, so early after
the organization of our Anti-Gambling Society, deprived
the undersigned of the opportunity of expressing to you
the obligations under which you have placed the citizens
of Frankfort, and the friends of morality everywhere, by
your patriotic labors for the suppression of a vice alike
injurious and corrupting to our race. During your brief
stay here, about two hundred and fifty of our citizens
have signed the pledge, and we trust a spirit has been
awakened in this community that will speedily enrol all
of our citizens as members of our Anti-Gambling Society.
Nor has the value of your labors ceased here. Many
members of the Legislature attended your lectures, and
we think we see evidences amongst them of a determina-
tion to at once avail themselves of their public position,
to enact such additional laws as will tend to suppress the
odious and destructible vice. We thank you for your
visit to our place, and cordially recommend you to the
attention and regard of the friends of morality everywhere.

We are, very respectfully, your obedient servants,

W. C. GOODLOE, G. W. CRADDOCK,

A. G. WATTS, W. M. LADD,

J. J. VEST, J. SWIGERT.
JAMES DAVIDSON,

APPENDIX. $S6

Recommendations.

Maysyille, December 8, 1845.

To all whom it may concern : We take great pleasure
in giving our public approval to the efforts of Mr. J. H.
Green, for the suppression of the vice of gambling. We
cannot but regard him as having been trained in the
school of vice, and reformed, in the providence of God
for the accomplishment of the work in which he is now
engaged. Mr. Green has visited our city, and lectured
in all of our churches, and we hesitate not to say, that
his lectures must do great good. His arguments are facts
of the most thrilling character, which expose in colors
most glaring, and in a manner overwhelmingly thrilling
the appalling evils of gambling. We commend Mr. Green,
in his praiseworthy efforts, to all good citizens, and hope
that wherever he goe&Jie will have both the ear, and the
sympathies, and the co-operation of the community.

R. G. GRITNDY, JAMES A. LEE, Mayor,

J. W. RAND, M. RYAR,

SAML. K. 8HARPE, M.D., JOHN M. DUKE,
AMBROSE 8EATON, W. H. LOWDER.

Detroit, August 29, 1845.

Mr. J. H. Green, somewhat extensively known to the
public, and familiarly denominated the Reformed Gambler,
has recently visited this city, and lectured some five or six
times on the subject of the danger, and frauds, and mise-
ries of gambling. He occupied at different times the
Methodist Episcopal, the Baptist, and the Presbyterian
churches. We cheerfully give him this testimony of
our confidence in his sincerity, and of his ardor in attack-
ing the vice by which he was once enslaved. We be-
lieve that his visit to this city has been attended with
good, and we wish him success wherever he goes in his
efforts to awaken public attention to the horrid evils and
dangers of a practice widely prevailing and powerfully

M0 AFFJttFDDL

-l*MMHWM»

rapported. We think no man could hear Mr. Green's
plain, unvarnished, and unaffected statements, in his own
plain, unpretending way, without being convinced that
the virtuous, and philanthropic, and every friend of his
country and humanity should exert their influence to ex-
pose and counteract the frauds and ruin perpetrated by
the gambler's arts.

We have been gratified with the course pursued by
Mr. Green while in this city, and believe that wherever
he is countenanced by the respectable citizens of a place,
his labors may be made very efficient in exposing and coun-
teracting the ensnaring, and to many the fatal practice of
gambling. It will give us pleasure to hear of his success
and usefulness in other places which he may visit, to tell
the story of his own reformation, and to put the people on
their guard against the tricks and knavery of those who
indulge in the gambling arts.

GEORGE DUFFIELD, B. F. LARNED,

Pastor of the First Presbyte- HORACE HALLOCK,
rian Church of Detroit. E. BINGHAM,

JOHN HULBERT, DAVID FRENCH,

E. P. HASTINGS, H. BRADY, U. S. Army.

THC END.

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